Coca-Cola HBC in £2bn Africa takeover October 21, 2025 London-listed bottling business Coca-Cola HBC is to acquire Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in a $3.4bn (£1.9bn) deal. The cash-and-shares deal, which will be part-funded by a new bridge debt facility, will see a transfer of the ownership of the African bottling business after 85 years of ownership by the South African Gutsche family. The move will [...]
Rugby League: Wembley Ashes Test to set UK attendance record October 21, 2025 The first rugby league Ashes series in over two decades is set to see a record attendance for its first Test at Wembley between England and Australia. The Rugby Football League will see over 57,000 head to Wembley Stadium this weekend to see the hosts take on the Kangaroos in the first of a three-Test [...]
Reeves ‘flying blind’ on non-doms as ultra-rich couple move to Milan October 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves will go into next month’s budget “flying blind” over the number of non-doms that have left the UK, a new report has warned on the day that a high-profile couple relocated to Milan in response to the Chancellor’s crackdown last autumn. The study, which was compiled by former Treasury economist Chris Walker, found [...]
The top one per cent account for a third of tax revenue October 21, 2025 The top one per cent of taxpayers account for around a third of all income tax and capital gains tax paid in 2023-24, it has been revealed. According to HMRC, the top 500,000 taxpayers contributed £93.8bn last year, which represented 33 per cent of the total raised. The top 100,000 paid £54.9bn and covered a [...]
UK government borrowing soars in September to highest in five years October 21, 2025 UK government borrowing soared north of £20bn in September, official data has revealed, in another blow for Rachel Reeves as she gears up for a painful tax-raising Budget next month. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said government borrowing over the month was the highest seen for five years and an increase of £1.6bn compared [...]
Are super clubs dead? October 21, 2025 With young people now opting for smaller, cheaper and more intimate venues, the days of the super club look numbered, writes Sacha Lord.
Railways an ‘untapped resource’ for housebuilding drive October 21, 2025 Railway stations are a crucial untapped resource for housebuilding and economic growth, according to a new report. The Railway Industry Association (RIA), which represents suppliers to the sector, has called for a significant housebuilding drive within a 10-minute radius of railway station sites. “The railway is the economic backbone of the United Kingdom… [our proposal] shows [...]
Third of employers would hire young people if offered tax credits October 21, 2025 Over a third of employers would hire more young people if they were offered tax credits, fresh research has found, amid reports the government is drawing up a plan to subsidise employment for under 24-year-olds. Research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) showed some 36 per cent of employers claiming they would offer role [...]
UK needs a minister for drones to prepare for modern warfare October 21, 2025 As autonomous warfare spending edges towards a quarter of the MoD’s budget, it makes sense to appoint a dedicated minister for drones.
Execs see pound signs in AI tech, not just efficiency October 20, 2025 C-suite business executives are even more enthusiastic about AI than the lawyers and accountants at the professional services firms advising them. According to research by Thomson Reuters, 90 per cent of corporate C-suite leaders say AI will have ‘high’ or ‘transformational’ impact in the next five years, compared to just 80 per cent of lawyers [...]