UK house prices drop as motivated sellers slash asking prices June 16, 2025 UK house prices dipped in June amid a jump in the number of homes coming to the market. New asking prices fell by 0.3 per cent to £378,240 in June amid a “decade-high” competition to secure buyers, according to Rightmove’s latest house price index. Prices are now 0.8 per cent ahead of this time last [...]
Grenade: We invented ‘good’ protein bars June 16, 2025 It is difficult to walk around a supermarket without being screamed at by a collection of very similar labels on very different aisles: High-protein yogurt! Protein powder bread! All natural high-protein ketchup! As the final social-media-endorsed macronutrient standing, protein’s stock has soared from a good-to-have to a must-buy in the last decade. Somewhat inexplicably, Marks [...]
Is a franchise model the only way to save rugby union? June 15, 2025 Despite various approaches to the same question as to whether rugby can find a stable commercial footing, various rugby factions seem to be coming to the same conclusion: are franchises the answer? Franchise sport can be hit and miss; in the US NFL and NBA franchises are seeing valuations north of $5bn. In the Indian [...]
Metro Bank receives private equity-backed takeover interest June 14, 2025 High street lender Metro Bank has been approached for a takeover which could take it off the London Stock Exchange, Sky News has reported. Bosses at Metro Bank have reportedly been approached in the last two weeks by private equity firm Pollen Street about an offer to take it private. The takeover would follow a [...]
Pubs and bars to watch the Club World Cup in London June 14, 2025 The Club World Cup kicks off this evening (well, at 1am tomorrow morning) with 32 teams looking to win a trophy few really wanted to fight for a couple of months ago. But it is a great chance for Londoners to have a late night drink and watch some random clubs, including Manchester City and [...]
Was Reeves’ Spending Review a fintech endorsement? June 14, 2025 Rachel Reeves has promised to back UK fintech and in Labour’s inaugural Spending Review, she piled billions into the tech sector. The Chancellor handed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) a hefty £16.5bn budget as she took the chop to other departments. DSIT’s expenditure limit is set to grow 7.4 per cent by [...]
London Tech Week day 5: Semiconductors must become a UK strategic priority June 13, 2025 If London is serious about shaping the next era of tech, we must treat semiconductors as vital national infrastructure, writes Russ Shaw.
Will lower stress tests for mortgages fuel a first-time buyer boom? June 13, 2025 Easier access to mortgages might replace the stamp duty holiday as fuel for the starter homes market, with prices forecast to soar if affordability improves. The average price paid by a first-time buyer grew by 2.1 per cent in the first quarter and by 7.1 per cent year on year, according to government data. While [...]
Reeves has ‘killed’ Old Kent Road regeneration by scrapping Bakerloo Line extension, say developers June 13, 2025 A major south London regeneration scheme faces an uncertain future after developers warned that the government’s spending review has “killed” the project by not providing funding for the long-expected Bakerloo Line extension. Described as ‘fundamental’ to the regeneration project, the Bakerloo Line extension missed out on funding in Rachel Reeves’ spending review on 11th June. [...]
The Government’s Jekyll and Hyde approach to business is confusing June 13, 2025 Businesses were once enthusiastic about a Labour government, but a year on we are growing frustrated, says Ravi Anand In advance of last year’s General Election, conversations I had with small businesses and corporate advisers were overwhelmingly positive towards the prospect of a Labour Government. This was contrary to what you’d expect from the business [...]