Burnham risks ‘breaking manifesto’ without business rates reform July 14, 2026 Andy Burnham has been warned that he risks breaking Labour’s manifesto if he does not go further in his plans to overhaul the business rates system. The Prime Minister-to-be has been urged by hospitality and retail industry figures to expand his plans to modify a business rates system which they say unfairly disadvantages high street [...]
JP Morgan bags record profit – but Dimon warns of risks shifting ‘below the surface’ July 14, 2026 JP Morgan secured the highest quarterly profit in US banking history in its second quarter but chief executive Jamie Dimon tempered the celebration with a warning that risks in the global economy were “shifting below the surface like tectonic plates”. The Wall Street giant recorded a 41 per cent jump in net income to $21.2bn [...]
Tax online businesses more to save Britain’s struggling high streets July 14, 2026 Labour promised to reform business rates to level the playing field between online and physical businesses. It's time to make true.
Bank of England warns Burnham of UK economy’s ‘big issue’ July 14, 2026 The Bank of England has warned Andy Burnham that economic growth remains the “big issue” facing the UK economy as he prepares to take the keys to Number 10. Andrew Bailey, the central bank governor, told policymakers on Tuesday that the UK has had “low growth for the best part of 16 to 17 years”. [...]
South East Water told to cough up £31m and improve infrastructure July 14, 2026 South East Water has been ordered to cough up a hefty redress and create an improvement plan for its operations after multiple investigations by the industry regulator found failures in its infrastructure and customer service. The utility firm – which supplies drinking water to 2.3m customers across the likes of Kent, Sussex and Surrey – [...]
Humble Grape is up for two Toast the City Awards: Here’s why July 14, 2026 We have launched the Toast the City awards 2026 and throughout the year we’ll be speaking to some of our amazing Finalists – today it’s Enya Buchenau, marketing manager at Humble Grape and Vivat Bacchus. To vote for your favourite Square Mile spots for the 2026 awards, from bars and restaurants to galleries and green [...]
Could an England World Cup win boost the markets? July 14, 2026 The equity markets of World Cup-winning countries frequently outperform immediately after victory. A Goldman Sachs study of tournaments from 1974-2014 found that every winner except Brazil in 2002 subsequently enjoyed a period of market outperformance, says Helen Thomas If football finally came home, what might it do for financial markets, aside from a late start [...]
Why does Britain treat housebuilding as one big burden? July 14, 2026 Housebuilding is one of Britain's most obvious economic opportunities, yet government and citizens alike seem to see it only as a burden.
Burnham urged to go further to fix ‘broken’ business rates July 14, 2026 Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham must broaden his plans to reform the “broken and unsustainable” business rates system, hospitality and retail industry leaders have warned. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to slash business rates for high street firms but a coalition of trade bodies has urged him to go further. Ros [...]
Heatwave slows retail sales but World Cup boosts online shopping July 14, 2026 June’s scorching heat slowed retail sales, but Brits opted to shop from home instead, sending online sales soaring. Total retail sales in the UK slowed from 3.7 per cent in May to 1.9 per cent in June year on year, in line with this year’s average growth rate, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]