Whitbread: Activist investor pushes for sale of FTSE 100 Premier Inn owner May 18, 2026 An activist investor with a major stake in Premier Inn’s owner Whitbread has called for the FTSE 100 firm to put itself up for sale, attacking its “chronic misallocation of capital”. Corvex Management, which owns 11.8m shares – around seven per cent – in Whitbread, has issued a scathing rejection of the firm’s latest cost-saving [...]
UK property taxes are highest in world – and they’re rising May 18, 2026 The UK has the highest level of property taxes of any major economy in the world as a share of the economy, according to new analysis, with new business reforms only set to add to the load. The global tax firm Ryan said the UK suffered a heavier property tax burden than the likes of [...]
Rachel Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike May 18, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to scrap plans to hike fuel duty, following pressure over the impact of the Iran war on fuel prices and the cost of living. Fuel duty was first frozen by the Tories in March 2022 and the Chancellor had extended this hold on the rate until the end of August this [...]
Is The Butcher’s Hook & Cleaver the City’s best pub? May 18, 2026 We have launched the Toast the City awards 2026 and throughout the year we’ll be speaking to some of the nominees. Today we caught up with The Butcher’s Hook & Cleaver general manager Iliana, whose awesome pub has been nominated in the Best Boozer category. To nominate your favourite Square Mile spots, from the best [...]
The City is paying the price for Britain’s energy failure May 18, 2026 High, unstable energy costs don’t stay in the energy sector. They get absorbed into operating margins, debt-service forecasts, insurance assumptions, infrastructure returns, and the discount rate applied to British assets, says Alan Chang The City does not need another price shock to understand Britain’s energy problem. Markets are already pricing the risk. Renewed tensions with [...]
JCB billionaire to hand reins to youngest son in blow to apparent heir May 16, 2026 The boss of JCB has named his younger son as his heir to the business, instead of his elder son and presumed heir. In an interview with the Telegraph, Lord Bamford said that his third child, George, would take over from his as head of the digger manufacturer rather than elder son Joseph, known as [...]
City sounds alarm on £40bn foreign M&A offensive targeting ‘cheap’ UK firms May 15, 2026 A group of City grandees has sounded the alarm on the wave of foreign firms picking off rivals from London’s stock market, after a flurry of unsolicited offers took the combined value of UK companies poised to leave Britain’s ailing bourse to £43bn. Some 22 listed companies have already accepted or received bids that would [...]
AI is driving McKinsey’s business model and talent overhaul May 15, 2026 McKinsey & Company’s business model is changing to prioritise performance-based pay, a shift largely driven by the impact of AI, City AM understands. The Big Three consulting giant has told senior staff it plans to overhaul its remuneration structure for partners, with more of their pay potentially coming in the form of equity in the US-headquartered partnership. [...]
Allica lands £350m in British Business Bank scheme aimed at fintechs May 15, 2026 Allica Bank has bagged lending backing from the UK’s state-owned economic development bank, in a scheme designed to bolster high-growth challengers that lend to small businesses. The London-based fintech – which sealed its status as a $1bn unicorn earlier this year – has landed £350m in the British Business Bank’s ENABLE Guarantee scheme, City AM [...]
Pan Pacific London director: The City is ‘incredibly special’ May 15, 2026 We have launched the Toast the City awards 2026 and throughout the year we’ll be speaking to some of the nominees. Today we caught up with Pan Pacific London director of marketing communications Michelle Whittemore, whose hotel has been nominated in the Best Overnight Experience category. To nominate your favourite Square Mile spots, from bars [...]