A year of hard Labour: UK plc’s verdict on Starmer and Reeves July 3, 2025 Just a year ago, Keir Starmer’s Labour party won an historic general election victory having promised to be “the most pro-business government this country has seen’. Ali Lyon sees whether industry and business leaders feel the party has met that vow 12 months on. As some of the great and good of Britain’s storied business [...]
Labour versus the bond markets, businesses and ballots July 3, 2025 Birthdays aren’t best celebrated on a hangover but Labour’s senior leaders will be waking up with a painful headache this morning after haemorrhaging support from both bond markets and backbenchers. As dozens of Labour MPs discovered the level of influence they held over whips in parliament, unsympathetic bond traders flexed their own powers as medium-term [...]
Business confidence hit by tax fears as Rachel Reeves’ headroom crumbles July 2, 2025 British business confidence has been hammered by Labour’s tax blows but fears remain heightened the government will return for more. A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed 56 per cent of firms were particularly concerned about their tax burden, which comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer failed to rule out further [...]
Lords blast Renters’ Rights Bill: ‘The government is not listening’ July 2, 2025 Peers in the House of Lords have clashed with the goverment’s Renters Right Bill, arguing that the Commons hasn’t listened to their concerns about fixed-term contracts, student housing or holiday lets. The bill, which aims to rebalance the relationship between landlords and tenants, began its third reading in the House of Lords on July 1. [...]
Rachel Reeves at risk of becoming shortest-serving Labour Chancellor July 2, 2025 Rachel Reeves is at risk of becoming the shortest-serving Labour Chancellor in history after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declined to give her a public show of support. The PM was facing questions at Prime Minister’s Questions today over his handling of a welfare reform package which has been stripped of key elements to limit [...]
British Basketball Federation could face second lawsuit in row with clubs July 2, 2025 The embattled British Basketball Federation (BBF) could face a second round of legal action after the owners of Manchester Basketball warned they are still considering joining Super League Basketball (SLB) in suing the governing body. Manchester Basketball chiefs have been left dismayed by the BBF’s decision last month to effectively block their participation in next [...]
Profit at The Macallan whisky owner slashed as sales slide July 2, 2025 Profit at Edrington, the owner of whisky label The Macallan, slumped by more than a quarter during its latest financial year as its sales slid, new figures have revealed. The Glasgow-headquartered group, whose brands also include Highland Park and Glenrothes, has posted a pre-tax profit of £274.4m for the year to 31 March, 2025. The latest [...]
Trump’s Scottish golf tournament gets crypto sponsor in Nexo July 2, 2025 The DP World Tour has signed a major three-year partnership with crypto firm Nexo that will see it sponsor the revived Scottish Championship held at Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course. Nexo will also become a partner to six of the European circuit’s biggest events, including the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, and become the tour’s [...]
Labour urged to scrap state pension triple lock July 2, 2025 The government should scrap the £145bn triple lock on the state pension and employers should automatically contribute to private pensions, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. Labour’s election manifesto last year said it would commit to keeping the state pension, while the Conservative Party pitched a ‘triple lock plus’ pension that would increase [...]
Whisky Business: Commando Spirit’s unique brand July 2, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. A handful of big-name brands dominate the world of whisky, but there’s a growing number of smaller, artisan whisky brands carving out niches in the market. One of these is Commando Spirit, the brainchild of retired Royal Marines Brigadier Rory Copinger-Symes CBE. Commando Spirit is [...]