London pensions firm eyes more deals after HSBC and Lloyds takeovers August 25, 2026 Pension consolidator Chesnara has said it is eyeing more deals after it swung back into profit following its takeover of HSBC Life UK. The London-listed firm recorded a £61m pre-tax profit in the first half of 2026, bouncing back from a £5m loss in the same period last year. Revenue soared to £255.9m, up from [...]
UK government takes stake in miner after £71m injection August 25, 2026 The government’s National Wealth Fund is set to pump £71m into miner Tungsten West in a bid to help reopen the Hemerdon mine in Devon. The funding package combines a £36m share purchase, which will hand the government a 7.4 per cent stake in Tungsten and a seat on the board of directors, and a [...]
Budget 2026: Which taxes will Burnham and Healey hike? August 25, 2026 With interest rates on course to remain elevated and a new government keen to win over sceptical voters with cost-of-living measures, economists think tax rises at October’s Budget are all but guaranteed. But where will the new Chancellor look for revenue? Ali Lyon and Mauricio Alencar examine the most likely revenue raisers. Speak to any [...]
KPMG seeks financial support from parent group in wake of audit scandal August 24, 2026 KPMG Australia has asked its parent company for financial support and laid off hundreds of staff after an audit scandal rocked the Big Four firm’s business down under. In its annual results on Monday, the Australian arm of the accounting group said it will cut its workforce by five per cent and partner pay by [...]
Greg Norman: I’d rather see LIV Golf end than wither away August 24, 2026 Former LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has said he would rather see the rebel tour scrapped altogether than continue in a diminished form. The tour’s future is in serious doubt after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing earlier this year, having already spent $5bn on rivalling the PGA Tour. Talks continue over a [...]
European private credit booms as private equity firms are forced to refinance August 24, 2026 Lending by European private credit firms hit a record-high in the first half of the year as a subdued dealmaking environment forced private equity firms to pause sale processes and renegotiate their portfolio companies’ debt, new data suggests. The value of direct lending across the continent hit €63.2bn (£54.1bn) in the first six months of [...]
Burnham accused of ‘piecemeal’ business rates reform August 24, 2026 Andy Burnham has been accused of taking a “piecemeal” approach to business rates instead of committing to Labour’s manifesto pledge to replace the tax system. The government has launched a review into how business rates bills are calculated for pubs and hotels, but industry bodies have urged the Prime Minister to commit to wholesale reform [...]
The UN treaty that’s been incentivising Britain’s blockers since 1998 August 24, 2026 Leaving the Aarhus Convention would make it easier to build homes, roads, reservoirs, railways and companies, writes Tom Willerton-Gartside.
Morrisons pledges to slash prices as price war intensifies August 24, 2026 Morrisons has pledged to match prices with its rivals on hundreds of products, as the debt-ridden grocer ramps up an emerging price war between UK supermarkets. The private-equity-owned supermarket has vowed that 500 of its “everyday essentials” will not be found cheaper at any of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi or Lidl. Britain’s supermarkets are fighting [...]
John Caudwell and Stuart Rose blast ‘tax creep’ August 24, 2026 Billionaire political donor John Caudwell and retail bigwig Lord Stuart Rose have hit out at the “creep of taxes” hitting businesses across the country. The influential business veterans have joined a campaign led by entrepreneur group Helm calling on the government to “stop the creep of taxes on wealth creators”. A letter, which has been [...]