Starmer scrambles to limit fuel shortage hit May 20, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has spelt out a number of policies to address fuel shortages, signalling the government’s fears that the Iran war could hit motorists and households. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer defended an announcement last year to “phase” new sanctions on Russia, while also trailing a policy to freeze a 5p fuel duty cut [...]
Housebuilders on hook for mansion tax if they fail to sell property after a year May 20, 2026 Property developers will be forced to pay the Labour’s new mansion tax if they take more than a year to offload newly built luxury homes, raising fresh fears that housebuilders will be further disincentivised from building homes in the capital. As part of plans included in a Treasury consultation document, housing developers will be liable [...]
Uefa warns Kang and London City Lionesses over multi-club rules May 20, 2026 Uefa has warned Michele Kang and other investors that women’s football will not be granted an exception to its rules on multi-club ownership. It means US billionaire Kang may have to sell or place into a blind trust either French side OL Lyonnes or London City Lionesses if they both qualify for European competition in [...]
Vattenfall energy portfolio poised to be snapped up by private equity firm May 20, 2026 Swedish energy giant Vattenfall is poised to offload a portfolio of its British assets to private equity firm Reinova in the latest step in its retreat from the UK, City AM understands. The conglomerate, owned by the government of Sweden, is set to sell three of its heat network businesses to London-based Reinova Capital for [...]
Curve swings to £9m loss as Lloyds takeover remains incomplete May 20, 2026 Curve has swung to a loss as the Apple Pay rival’s future faces uncertainty ahead of its takeover by Lloyds Banking Group. The digital wallet provider suffered a £9.5m loss in the 2024 financial year, a major drawback from its £3m profit the 12 months prior. The tide turned on Curve’s balance sheet as revenue [...]
Experian and Relx fall as City unease over AI impact outweighs buyback billions May 20, 2026 Shares in Experian hit the bottom of the FTSE 100 in morning trade, with the City underwhelmed by what the credit checking giant called a “record year” and news of a fresh $1bn capital return. It did not look like enough to dispel fears over the potential long-term impact of artificial intelligence on the company, [...]
British Land: Return to office debate is over May 20, 2026 British Land has declared the debate over returning to the office “over,” as it prepares to capitalise on constrained supply and a “wave of demand” for commercial property from AI firms. The FTSE 100 property developer saw its profit before tax jump by 32 per cent to £450m in the year to March, as the [...]
Costco UK profit soars as Brits buy in bulk amid cost of living pressures May 20, 2026 Profit at Costco’s UK subsidiary has soared as Brits flocked to the wholesaler to buy in bulk in a bid to swerve cost of living pressures. The grocery chain, which has 29 stores across the UK, including six in London, generated pre-tax profit of £218.6m in the year to the end of August 2025, a [...]
M&S boss says supermarket price caps ‘completely preposterous’ May 20, 2026 The boss of M&S has dubbed government proposals to urge supermarkets to cap the prices of foods as “completely preposterous”. Stuart Machin, chief executive of the retail giant, called on the government to cut red tape and taxes on grocers instead of pressuring supermarkets to cut prices. The Treasury has reportedly been asking supermarkets to [...]
Usercentrics Appoints Pawan Hegde as COO and Promotes Elena Ignatova to CPTO May 20, 2026 Usercentrics, a leading data privacy technology company, today announced the appointment of Pawan Hegde as Chief Operating Officer and the promotion of Elena Ignatova to Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO). Both appointments accelerate the company’s U.S. expansion and mark a new phase of growth as Usercentrics scales its platform to meet the demands of [...]