Bob Bob Ricard boss: ‘Champagne is in our DNA’ June 12, 2025 Bob Bob Ricard has become that incredibly rare thing: a London restaurant that hasn’t been forced to close. It has outlasted a financial crash, a pandemic and a cost of living crisis, all because it is very, very good. The dining room is designed to make you feel like you’re careering through Europe on an [...]
How worried should Ed Miliband be about the CBI’s net zero U-turn? June 12, 2025 Is the CBI’s about-face on the cost of net zero a case of shameless opportunism or an overdue conversion to common sense, asks James Ford We are arguably living in an age of screeching political U-turns. The government’s abrupt volte-face over withdrawing the Winter Fuel Allowance is probably the most egregious example. Others would include [...]
British businesses celebrated in third year of The King’s Awards for Enterprise: June 5, 2025 The recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have now been announced, celebrating the achievements of leading businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands and recognising their vital role in growing our economy to improve lives. This year, 197 businesses representing a diverse range of sectors, have been recognised by His Majesty The King [...]
Labour’s not for turning but the Inheritance Tax battle will rumble on June 5, 2025 Civil servants and politicians could not believe their eyes. As the hoarse grumble of diesel motors thundered along Whitehall, a fleet of tractors descended onto Parliament Square, heralded by a cacophony of honks to the tune of Aqua’s Barbie Girl. Beginning in November, farmers marched to Westminster to protest the government’s inheritance tax (IHT) reforms. [...]
Week in Business: Warning lights in the City as another firm quits London for New York June 5, 2025 The trend has been clear for some time and the evidence points to a story of decline for the UK's capital markets.
Investors cheer Dr Martens’ turnaround plan – but will it work? June 5, 2025 Shares in Dr Martens have jumped by a fifth as investors cheered on the shoemaker’s new strategy for growth. The iconic brand said it had “failed to take advantage” of its leather goods offering and plans to expand its range of sandals and bags. It’s a “fundamental shift” for the brand, designed to open the [...]
Mighty Hoopla 2025 review: a community event in the truest sense June 2, 2025 Mighty Hoopla 2025 review ★★★★★: Go for the vibe, which is unmatched It’s ironic that Mighty Hoopla 2025 was almost closed down for being a nuisance to the local area. While it irked some residents, inside the walls it is one of the truest examples of community, and the power of uniting people together at [...]
Shucked musical: A smash at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre May 27, 2025 Regents Park Open Air Theatre is appropriately dotted with stands serving freshly grilled corn for the arrival of Shucked, a musical obsessed with both corn on the cob and corny jokes. If a rootin’, tootin’, country and western-inflected musical about crop farming sounds like a strange choice to kick off the tenure of Drew McOnie [...]
Lanza-grotty? Hardly! Why Lanzarote is actually rather fabulous May 24, 2025 “David Cameron tucks into five-star hotel buffet in Lanzarote,” read a headline in The Mirror in 2016. Lingering over details like the then Prime Minister’s “all inclusive wrist band” and the resort’s “£230 a night price tag”, the newspaper’s clear implication was that Cameron was luxuriating in a paradise no ordinary Brit could aspire to. [...]
Week in Business: Will Starmer sack Rachel Reeves? May 23, 2025 Cracks are appearing in Labour's economic strategy - will Keir Starmer roll the dice and look for a new Chancellor to change course?