Is Next still a bellwether for the UK high street? October 30, 2025 Next sailed past its projected sales figures this Autumn, the high street stalwart told markets on Wednesday, despite wider issues in the UK high street. Overall sales rose 10.5 per cent in the 13 weeks to October 25, far above guidance of 4.5 per cent, with international sales growth at 38.8 per cent quarter on [...]
Mayor Polanski? It’s more likely than you think… October 30, 2025 With their polling surging and their membership growing rapidly, the Green Party could be contenders to take control of City Hill in 2028, argues James Ford The Green Party are having a moment. In the few weeks since their feisty new leader, Zack Polanski AM, was elected, the Greens have been making waves. Party membership [...]
London’s broken listings regime is pushing British firms out the door October 30, 2025 Every firm that abandons its London listing makes the next departure more likely, says Paul Scully During my four years as Minister for London, I championed our capital as a global business hub. I welcomed the work of the Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority on reforms to make our markets more competitive. But as [...]
Keir Starmer may not survive this Budget October 30, 2025 The Prime Minister cannot satisfy all three key audiences: the markets, the party, and the public, says Helen Thomas Every Prime Minister faces a moment when economic reality collides with political promise. For Keir Starmer, Budget day could be that moment of reckoning. He promised calm after chaos: that the grown-ups were back in charge, [...]
Three things Star Trek got right about AI October 30, 2025 Star Trek either inspired or predicted many of the astonishing developments we live with today, says Lewis Liu I’m a huge Star Trek nerd, having watched since I was a kid. I’m not alone amongst tech founders – sci-fi remains a core inspiration for us. Elon Musk famously cites the late British sci-fi novelist Iain [...]
How regional capital can power growth October 30, 2025 When the Mansion House Compact was announced in 2023, it promised to direct pension savings toward productive UK investment. Two years later, the Mansion House Accord expanded that ambition: up to 10 per cent of defined-contribution pension funds in unlisted assets by 2030, half of that in the UK. The goal is simple – to [...]
‘Unprecedented’ number of small businesses expect to shrink or close down October 30, 2025 A record number of small businesses are expecting to shrink or close down in the next year, a leading industry group has warned, amid a “vicious” cycle of low growth and fears that next month’s Budget could cause more pain for businesses. Nearly one in three of the UK’s small businesses (30 per cent) expect [...]
Pension tax grab could threaten retirement for millions October 30, 2025 A potential raid on pensions in the upcoming November Budget could cause pension funds to lose billions, threatening businesses and the retirement outcome for millions of Brits. UK pension funds could suffer a £50bn loss over the next five years if the Treasury decides to slash pension tax reliefs, according to analysis from wealth manager [...]
War of words heats up as private credit bosses round on banks October 29, 2025 The war of words between banks and private credit ratcheted up on Wednesday, after a trio of bosses from private lenders rounded on claims their industry played a pivotal role in a string of recent debt-related collapses, branding it “misinformation”. During a fiery evidence session in the House of Lords, executives from alternative investment giants [...]
Streaming overtakes traditional sports broadcasting, spending $12.5bn in 2025 October 29, 2025 Streaming has overtaken traditional broadcast and cable TV viewing as its biggest players have increased investment in sports rights, according to a new report. Platforms such as Dazn have pumped significant funds into showing live sport, with the sector as a whole spending $12.5bn in 2025, up 25 per cent on last year. Streaming’s share [...]