Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill butter up £75m merger July 26, 2025 Bread producers Hovis and Kingsmill are set for a historic merger with their owners expected to ink an agreement after months of discussion. Kingsmill, whose immediate parent Allied Bakeries is owned by London-listed Associated British Foods (ABF), and Hovis could benefit from up to £50m of annual cost savings from a merger. The proposed agreement, [...]
Businesses to pay £1.1bn in new packaging fees to councils July 26, 2025 Councils in England are set to receive a share of £1.1 billion in recycling funding taken from money charged to companies for the packaging they produce. Under the current system, local councils have footed the bill for disposing of items such as milk bottles, cereal boxes and soup tins using taxpayers’ money. But the new [...]
Exclusive: Industry chiefs urge MPs to accept workers’ rights amendments July 26, 2025 Seven of Britain’s most influential industry bodies have urged MPs to accept an array of House of Lords amendments to the government’s workers’ rights package, warning the overhaul is already having a “chilling” impact on jobs and the economy. The cohort of heavyweight lobby groups – which includes all the so-called ‘Big Five’ business bodies [...]
Formula E signs World Championship extension with FIA until 2048 July 25, 2025 Formula E has extended its exclusive contract with motorsport governing body the FIA, meaning it will remain the only all-electric single-seater World Championship until at least 2048. It comes ahead of the climax of Formula E’s 11th season in London this weekend, where Nissan driver Oliver Rowland is set to be crowned champion on home [...]
Fantastic Four movie is unexpectedly… fantastic! July 25, 2025 Coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) via Disney’s acquisition of Fox, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a bit of a gamble. There have been three movie versions of the characters, all of which have been huge disappointments. None of those were made by Marvel Studios, however, and with the world’s biggest franchise desperate [...]
‘Our guests like to eat’: The Maldives hotel with incredible food, gorgeous sealife and 24 hour butler service July 25, 2025 At Malé Seaplane Lounge on the final leg of my journey to a rather gorgeous hotel in the Maldives, I found a glossy coffee table book. Inside were photographs of tropical sunsets, grinning locals, and thoughtful essays on Maldivian culture. I wanted a copy; it was a welcome shift from the influencer reels I’d scrolled [...]
Rightmove demands stamp duty overhaul July 25, 2025 Rightmove has called on the government to overhaul stamp duty thresholds to help first-time buyers get on the property market. The UK’s largest property platform urged ministers to increase the thresholds at which the tax kicks in, to reflect house price rises that have occurred in recent years and “help mobility across many parts of [...]
Chancellor exploring route to overturn impending ruling on motor finance July 25, 2025 The Chancellor is reportedly considering overruling the impending Supreme Court ruling on motor finance when it is handed down
Record number of farms shut after inheritance tax grab July 25, 2025 A record number of farms closed in the year after the government announced it was ending a carve out that allowed farmers to pass down their estates without paying inheritance tax. According to official data, 6,365 agriculture, forestry and fishing businesses have shuttered over the past year, the highest number since the data started being [...]
Why on earth isn’t the pensions commission considering the triple lock? July 25, 2025 The triple lock is a glaring omission from the scope of the newly announced pension commission, says Jamie Jenkins There is much to cheer with the formation of a second pensions commission. The Pension Schemes Bill sets out the strategic direction for retirement saving over the next five years, and the Pensions Commission is largely [...]