Healey under fire on spending plans as UK faces ‘worst decade for living standards on record’ October 29, 2026 John Healey is facing intense scrutiny over his plans to tighten public spending around 2030, as leading economists warned the Labour government is on course to revive an austerity programme while overseeing the worst decade of living standards on record. Budget-crunchers at two leading economics think tanks have offered scathing assessments on the state of [...]
Healey tells Bailey to loosen UK banking regulation after tax hike October 29, 2026 John Healey has told Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey to loosen banking regulation “as quickly as possible” after the government raised taxes on the sector in the Budget. The Chancellor wrote to Bailey following the Budget with a direction for the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) to balance its stability mandate with support for economic [...]
WPP sales return to growth as Cindy Rose’s turnaround gathers pace October 29, 2026 Advertising giant WPP returned to revenue growth in the third quarter as chief executive Cindy Rose’s turnaround plan began to show signs of progress, although its creative business continued to struggle. The London-listed group reported revenue of £3.27bn in the three months to September, up 0.5 per cent from a year earlier, following a prolonged [...]
Grosvenor Casinos owner warns of £9m tax hit after Healey’s gambling duty hike October 29, 2026 Casino operator Rank Group has warned that John Healey’s gambling tax hike will deliver a hit of around £9m a year, as the industry begins to count the cost of Wednesday’s Budget. The London-listed owner of Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo said the increase in Machine Games Duty (MGD) from 20 to 25 per cent, [...]
Alushibe Holding Group to Bring 12 Global F&B Brands to Libya by 2028 October 29, 2026 Ahmed Gadalla signs exclusive master franchise agreement with Türkiye's MADO: US$7 million, 7 cafés and 350 jobs in the first phase; 1,000 sq m Benghazi flagship opens Q1 2027
Healey promises ‘reduction’ in welfare spending before election October 29, 2026 John Healey has promised there will be a “reduction” in the welfare bill before the next election despite the Budget not addressing huge payments on benefits and pensions. Healey told broadcasters on Thursday morning that the government was “ready to take some pretty tough decisions” to rein in spending although he echoed his predecessors in [...]
Lloyds shares fall after high interest rates boost income October 29, 2026 Shares in Lloyds Banking Group tumbled on Thursday morning after the bank beat profit expectations in the third-quarter after a boost from high interest rates and a reduction in its cost base. The FTSE 100 giant reported a £2.3bn pre-tax profit for the latest three months, up nearly 99 per cent on last year’s figure. [...]
Sorry padel bores, the sport doesn’t deserve an Olympics spot yet October 29, 2026 Padel may be increasingly ubiquitous but Olympics organisers are wise not to embrace every fashionable sport, says Ed Warner. Thwock! I’m just back from a week’s holiday in Cyprus. Apologies – had I predicted the extent of the power cuts caused by Storms Austen and Boelo (thought ex-Chelsea FC’s Todd when I first heard a [...]
AB InBev Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results October 29, 2026 Solid top- and bottom-line performance with volume growth, revenue up 4.9% and Underlying EPS up 22%
Budget 2026: Four OBR forecasts lay bare Britain’s fiscal vulnerability October 29, 2026 If you’re in a good mood, why not consider ruining it by reading this week’s OBR report. The fiscal watchdog paints a bleak picture of the health of the British economy and the public finances over the rest of this Parliament – one in which the UK is in a steady state of decline, funding [...]