‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
Starmer: ‘Viable plan’ needed for Trump’s Strait of Hormuz request March 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he is still in discussions to draw up a “viable, collective plan” with European allies in response to President Trump’s call for help in the Strait of Hormuz. In a press conference on Monday, the Prime Minister insisted that the country would “not be drawn into the wider war” in [...]
Rooftop hospitality at Cheltenham Festival after £100m Jockey Club deal March 16, 2026 The Jockey Club has agreed a £100m investment deal with Levy in a move that will see major upgrades to the Cheltenham Festival and Epsom Derby. The agreement, with the sport division of Compass Group, will span 20 years and see the Jockey Club seek to enhance the “spectator experience across their UK racecourses”. Chief [...]
Dragons Den star steps in to save Robert Dyas March 16, 2026 A former Dragons Den star has stepped in to “steady the ship” at a beloved high street hardware store as losses climb. Theo Paphitis, who owns a string of retailers, has installed himself as interim chief executive at Robert Dyas, as the home improvement and electrical appliance seller battles “testing times”. Paphitis bought the retailer [...]
Will Thames Water’s latest rescue package pass muster? March 16, 2026 Thames Water’s latest rescue package has been designed to fend off the public’s criticism of the way the company has been mismanaged. In a statement, Thames Water said the new detail would comprise £6.6bn of new debt – including £3.3bn accessible on day one of the rescue plan being implemented – which will be provided [...]
Labour urged to revisit non-dom regime to revive London economy March 16, 2026 Business leaders have urged Labour to overturn its abolition of the “non-dom” tax regime to stem an “exodus” of high-net worth figures leaving the capital. Lobby group BusinessLDN has called on the government to create an “Office for Tax Competitiveness” to identify where the UK loses out on attracting investment and growth due to stricter [...]
London-based insuretech Loxa bags £2.7m to expand across Europe March 16, 2026 London-based insuretech Loxa has completed a £2.7m seed funding round to expand its embedded insurance platform across the European retail market. The firm secured the investment in three separate tranches from a group of angel investors and family offices. The Lazaroo-Hood Group led the backing with further support from the Angel Investment Network, FundMyPitch, and [...]
Sinner breaches major prize money barrier with $1m Indian Wells haul March 16, 2026 Jannik Sinner’s victory at Indian Wells took his career prize money to $60m, with the Italian averaging $142,000 per career match. The Italian beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to win Indian Wells on Sunday and become the youngest man to win all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles. Australian Open semi-finalist Sinner, 24, won 7-6 7-6 [...]
‘Pressure point’: Oil prices spike as Trump turns up heat on Nato March 16, 2026 The price of oil spiked once more as trading for the new week began after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on his Nato peers to help get supply flowing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, jumped 2.9 per cent as trading open after the weekend to near $106.12 a barrel, but later gave [...]
Thames Water creditors offer ‘best and final’ rescue funding deal March 16, 2026 Thames Water’s creditors have offered a “best and final” offer deal involving new debt and equity in a bid to prevent it from falling into a special administration regime. Investment behemoths Elliott Management, Silver Point Capital, Invesco, PIMCO and other creditors behind the consortium London & Valley Water have presented Ofwat, the water regulator, with [...]
Second home stamp duty means 2m houses ‘missing’ from rental market March 16, 2026 More than 2m rental homes are missing from the market because of the second home tax imposed a decade ago, new research has found. Nearly ten per cent fewer homes are available to rent than was projected in 2016, when the stamp duty surcharge on second homes pushed millions of houses out of the reach [...]