MPs want overhaul of Heathrow regulation before third runway February 20, 2026 Nearly nine in 10 members of parliament do not think Heathrow’s ambitious third runway expansion should go ahead unless there is a major overhaul of its regulatory framework to help bring down costs. A fresh poll of British lawmakers found that 84 per cent are reluctant to vote through the historic expansion without the west [...]
Boost for retail sales as tech and fuel drives growth February 20, 2026 UK retail sales grew by 1.8 per cent in January as the performance of non-food retailers outshone struggling supermarkets, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal. Automotive fuel sales, art galleries and tech retailers drove this growth, the ONS said, which was partially dragged down by falling supermarket sales. Retail sales were up slightly on [...]
Reeves lands £30bn reprieve ahead of Spring Statement February 20, 2026 Rachel Reeves has secured a record-breaking borrowing reprieve in fresh data that comes ahead of the Chancellor delivering her Spring Statement in March. The Treasury has been handed a surplus of £30.4bn in January, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, after a surge in tax receipts. The figure is £15.9bn higher [...]
Debenhams clinches equity raise after share price spook February 19, 2026 Debenhams Group successfully closed its equity fundraise above its initial £35m target despite a stock market spook which saw its shares drop by 20 per cent. The fashion group, which recently rebranded from Boohoo Group, had pitched the equity raise as central to its turnaround from significant struggles in recent years. Debenhams Group, which owns [...]
Klarna delivers $1bn quarter but shareholder returns take beating February 19, 2026 Klarna delivered a record quarter at the end of 2025, with revenue rocketing, but the firm reported a major slump in shareholder returns after its stock price took a bruising following its public debut. The Swedish fintech unicorn notched just north of $1bn (£743m) in revenue, marking a 38 per cent jump year-on-year as active [...]
Exclusive: Evolv signs star chef as part of ambitious plans February 19, 2026 The Evolv Collection, one of the country’s biggest high-end restaurant groups in the country, has continued its ambitious growth plans with the appointment of highly rated chef Miller Prada as group culinary consultant. With almost 20 years of experience in kitchens including The Ledbury, Pollen Street Social and Endo at the Rotunda, Miller is best [...]
Bank of Ireland’s UK arm hit with £3.8m fine for fraud failures February 19, 2026 The Bank of Ireland’s UK arm has been slapped with a hefty fine after failing to hit the deadline by over a year to implement an anti-fraud service. The lender was hit with a £3.7m fine from the Payments Systems Regulator (PSR) for missing the deadline by 14 months for a “vital” service that would [...]
Surinder Arora: Hotels should not be excluded from tax relief February 19, 2026 Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has said he “fails to see” why the government has offered emergency tax support only to pubs, as hotels battle with “unprecedented” business rate hikes. This comes after Wednesday’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures revealed that hotels and restaurants are facing far quicker price rises than the headline inflation rate. The [...]
eBay snaps up second-hand fashion app Depop in $1.2bn deal February 19, 2026 Online seller eBay has struck a deal to purchase online fashion marketplace Depop for $1.2bn (£890m). The cash deal, expected to be completed by the middle of this year, comes just five years after the second-hand clothing app was acquired by craft marketplace Etsy for $1.6bn (£1.18bn). Peter Semple, Depop’s chief executive, hailed the sale [...]
British Gas owner shares tumble after buyback was paused February 19, 2026 London-listed energy giant Centrica shares plunged nine per cent on Thursday morning after the group paused its share buyback programme in the face of a major earnings hit. The owners of British Gas reported lower 2025 earnings than in the previous year, but the group says it was resilient in a challenging market. The group’s [...]