Investment minister Jason Stockwood: I don’t want to be political October 22, 2025 Jason Stockwood insists he hadn’t been angling for a plumb ministerial job before the call from Keir Starmer asking for him to be investment minister came six weeks ago. The serial entrepreneur – and Grimsby Town Football Club co-owner – had, instead, been “moaning” about the paucity of politicians with genuine business experience, when the [...]
Fully remote with no associates: Meet the ‘elite’ law firm of the future October 22, 2025 US lawyers Michael Pierson and Joel Ferdinand joined forces “with the vision to build the elite law firm of the future”, going in the opposite direction of the traditional market with a tech-focused, full-service approach. Oh, and no offices. And no associates. Founded in January 2024, New York-based Pierson Ferdinand became the largest law firm [...]
Housing secretary Steve Reed ‘overly optimistic’ for betting jobs on housing targets October 22, 2025 The government’s housing secretary, Steve Reed, continues to be optimistic about the chance of a pledge to build 1.5m new homes in England despite mounting concern about delays. Earlier this week, Reed said that he would “absolutely” meet the goal and widespread scepticism would make “celebration all the sweeter”, he told BBC Panorama. “My job should be on [...]
Darktrace boss blames employee share rules for London exit October 22, 2025 The boss of Darktrace has said that the London Stock Exchange’s restrictive rules over offering options and equity to staff drove its decision to leave the UK bourse in 2023, saying it limited its ability to attract and retain talent. Jill Popelka told a Bloomberg event that the “limitations” meant that as a London-listed company [...]
Performance, not privilege, should determine success in financial services October 22, 2025 Financial services leadership is still too dominated by a privileged few, says for Lord Mayor Vincent Keaveny When I served as Lord Mayor of London, I often heard the City described as a meritocracy. Yet, behind the polished façades and success stories, I saw the hidden barriers that still shape who truly gets ahead. That [...]
Labour is finding that renationalising rail doesn’t make trains come on time October 22, 2025 Since returning to public ownership, delays and cancellations on our commuter trains have got worse, not better. So why is Labour doubling down? Asks Thomas Turrell When Labour took South Western Railway into public ownership earlier this year, they promised passengers a new era of punctuality, reliability and accountability. They have failed. Within just a [...]
Allica Bank makes major acquisition as it eyes £1bn SME lending goal October 22, 2025 Allica Bank is set to announce a fresh acquisition as the firm looks to beef up its lending capacity for small businesses, City AM can reveal. The digital bank has snapped up London-based fintech Kriya, which specialises in embedded finance and business loans. The takeover, set to be announced on Wednesday, marks Allica’s third acquisition [...]
Rachel Reeves plans another NIC tax raid at November Budget October 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves is gearing up for another billion-pound raid on National Insurance Contributions (NICs) as the Chancellor finds ways to plug a huge fiscal black hole in November’s Budget. Reeves is understood to be drawing up plans to extend NICs taxes to include limited liability partnerships or LLPs, to whom the tax does not currently [...]
Good luck to my fellow Toast the City award nominees! October 21, 2025 It is the day of City AM’s Toast the City Awards, celebrating the hospitality and placemaking that makes the Square Mile great. I could not be more proud to be attending, as both a judge and a nominee. I would like to reach out ahead of the event to wish all the best to everyone [...]
Rolex is London’s most stolen luxury watch, but few recovered by Met Police October 21, 2025 Over 5,000 luxury watches have been stolen in London over the last three years, but barely one in 88 of these watches has been recovered by the Metropolitan Police. According to a Freedom of Information request seen by City AM, there have been 5,180 high-value watches, worth £3,000 or more, stolen between January 2022 and [...]