Budget 2025: Lloyds, Natwest and Barclays brace for a tax raid? September 1, 2025 Ahead of the 2024 Autumn Budget, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Labour’s first fiscal event was “going to be painful”. He added those with the broadest shoulders “should bear the heavier burden” as Chancellor Rachel Reeves battled against an alleged ‘£22bn black hole’ inherited from the Conservative government. After lobbying efforts, banks were spared [...]
Alibaba unveils new AI chip as Nvidia’s China headache deepens August 29, 2025 China’s tech giants are racing to plug the gap left by Washington’s export bans, with Alibaba rolling out a new AI processor designed to replace Nvidia’s restricted H20 chip. The e-commerce titan, now also the country’s largest cloud-computing group, said the chip is more versatile than its predecessors and is aimed squarely at domestic AI [...]
Natwest and Lloyds shares lead £8bn plunge amid bank tax fears August 29, 2025 Shares in a number of Britain’s biggest banking giants tumbled on Friday as speculation that Rachel Reeves would use the sector for an easy cash grab ramped up. Natwest topped the FTSE 100’s fallers, losing over five per cent. Meanwhile, Lloyds was down nearly four per cent, Barclays just over two per cent, whilst HSBC [...]
Tribunal filing shows UK pushed for wider back-door access to Apple data August 29, 2025 A new court document reveals that the UK government sought broader “back-door” access to Apple’s private customer data amid ongoing controversy over the impact of the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act. According to the Financial Times, a new legal document has been filed with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court that reviews complaints against [...]
Torsten Bell: Who is the mastermind behind the 2025 Autumn Budget? August 28, 2025 When parliamentary candidates were revealed ahead of last year’s elections, Torsten Bell was one of the better-known names on Labour’s list. With his glaringly wonkish CV and swaggering way of talking up esoteric economic policies, he seemed primed to one day leave his mark on a Budget. According to the New Statesman, his opportunity to [...]
Business has never been a man’s world – meet the women who bankrolled history August 28, 2025 A new history challenges the myth that business was “just for men” by uncovering the forgotten stories of powerful female entrepreneurs, bankers, and industrialists who have been crucial to building global prosperity throughout the ages, writes Victoria Bateman Hidden away inside the British Museum is a little-known collection of women’s business cards dating to the [...]
Retailers’ woes stretch into second day after bearish Deutsche note August 27, 2025 A sell-off affecting some of the UK’s largest retailers has extended into a second day, after an analyst warned the spectre of higher taxes in the Autumn Budget, a softening labour market and sticky inflation will dent consumers’ spending habits. Shares in AB Foods, Wickes and B&Q-owner Kingfisher all shed between one and 1.5 per [...]
Padel at Hay’s Galleria Extended due to Popular Demand August 27, 2025 London, 26 August 2025 – Central London Alliance’s London Sports Festival today announced the extension of the pop-up padel court at the iconic Hay’s Galleria, in collaboration with London Bridge City. Originally scheduled to run until 11 September, the popular installation will now remain open until Friday 24 October 2025, giving visitors, occupiers and residents [...]
Business rates ‘double whammy’ to cost English companies billions August 26, 2025 Businesses in England are to face an “unavoidable double hit” to their property tax payments next year, which will see total payments surge by about £2.5bn, according to new figures. Analysis from global tax firm Ryan indicated that inflation and a government tax change will combine to drive up business rates bills further. Business rates [...]
Trump’s tariff salvo blindsides UK manufacturers August 24, 2025 Donald Trump has blindsided UK manufacturers by slapping fresh tariffs of up to 25 per cent on more than 400 categories of British goods, from shampoo and children’s highchairs to motorcycles and diggers. Conservative shadow trade secretary Andrew Griffith accused ministers of failing to protect exporters, saying: “When it comes to protecting UK businesses from [...]