Lloyds fires bank tax warning shot as industry ‘ripe for cash grab’ April 29, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has warned the Treasury not to look at the banks for a tax raid as the industry sets its sights on booming profits in 2026. The FTSE 100 giant beat profit expectations by a cool £200m in the first-quarter after booking £2bn. This was also followed up by an upgrade to its [...]
Brits booking holidays last minute over Iran war fears, says Jet2 April 29, 2026 Budget airline Jet2 said Brits are leaving holiday bookings until the very last minute as the Iran war threatens to wreak havoc on summer tourism plans. The UK’s third-largest package holiday provider said on Wednesday: “Since commencement of the conflict in the Middle East, the booking profile has become increasingly close to departure.” But the [...]
Expect Rum to pack a punch before King is crowned April 29, 2026 SATURDAY features the first British Classic of the season, Newmarket’s 2000 Guineas (3.35pm), which also marks the first World Pool fixture of the year in the UK and Ireland. Much of the build-up has centred around Aidan O’Brien’s string of potential contenders, but his grip on the race has slipped since he last won it [...]
Airport warning over ‘full’ Heathrow as transfer traffic takes off on Iran war April 29, 2026 London’s main gateway to the world and the UK’s busiest airport issued a forthright warning over its capacity on Wednesday, as war in the Middle East meant demand for flight transfers took off. “Heathrow is full”, said its chief financial officer, Sally Ding. She spoke out alongside the release of first-quarter numbers which revealed 18.9m [...]
Mercedes Benz joins legal battle over £9bn motor finance scheme April 29, 2026 Mercedes Benz is confirmed to be among the four legal challenges lodged against the UK financial watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme. The financial services arm of the German car giant is set to challenge the scheme that puts the car finance industry on the hook for £9.1bn in compensation. The carmarker has thus far set [...]
Aston Martin turnaround stalls as carmaker posts loss April 29, 2026 Aston Martin’s turnaround under billionaire Lawrence Stroll remains stuck in first gear as the car manufacturer posted another loss. The FTSE 250 firm posted a £66m pre-tax loss in the first three months of this year, which is 18 per cent narrower than this time last year, though total car sales dropped by one per [...]
Santander UK profit slides after motor finance reserves balloon April 29, 2026 Santander UK’s profit took a knock in the first quarter of the year after the bank made another hefty top up to its motor finance provisions. The UK arm of the Spanish banking giant booked a £202m pre-tax profit for the first three months of 2026. This was down 44 per cent from the same [...]
OpenGate Capital Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Total Safety’s Europe and Middle East Division April 29, 2026 OpenGate Capital (“OpenGate”), a global private equity firm, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the European and the Middle Eastern (“EMEA”) division of Total Safety, a Littlejohn & Co. portfolio company. Total Safety EMEA is a leading provider of mission-critical safety and compliance solutions serving petrochemical and oil & gas [...]
Lloyds shares drop after income upgrade on higher interest rates April 29, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has upgraded its income targets for the year as the bank expects to bring in more cash as interest rates remain elevated from the Iran war. The FTSE 100 financial giant – which counts Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland among its subsidiaries – said it expects net interest income to [...]
Quinbrook Advances UK’s Largest Synchronous Condenser Portfolio with £156M Financing and Final Scottish Project Launch April 29, 2026 Closes landmark £156 million debt financing for its Severn portfolio Achieves commercial operations for fourth and final synchronous condenser in its Scottish portfolio