Pothole partners: JCB to be official exhibitor at Reform conference September 4, 2025 JCB will be one of the ‘official exhibitors’ at this week’s Reform Party conference, where it will showcase a pothole machine in the latest sign of tightening ties between the poll-topping party and blue-chip UK firms. The yellow-liveried manufacturer, which is owned by longstanding Tory donor Lord Bamford, will be one of the most prominent [...]
Peter Kyle sets out tech growth plan as UK AI sector hits £2.9bn September 3, 2025 Technology secretary Peter Kyle has pitched the UK as a “global magnet” for innovation in his keynote speech at Mansion House on Wednesday evening. His pledge comes as investment in British AI companies hit record levels last year. Figures released alongside his address confirm that private investment in UK AI firms reached £2.9bn in 2024, [...]
Formula 1’s popular F1 Arcade signs first franchise deal after $130m raise September 3, 2025 Formula 1’s popular F1 Arcade product has this morning announced its first franchise agreement, with the viewing and gaming hub set to hit the Iberian Peninsula. F1 Arcade’s flagship location is at One New Change in St Paul’s, but the Formula 1 affiliated experiential hospitality offering also has sites in Birmingham, as well as Boston, [...]
“Smart money” is doubling down on private equity – but are private investors missing out? September 3, 2025 Public pension plans, sovereign wealth funds and family offices keep bulking up their investments in private equity and private markets. Now, at last, private investors can get in. In July, the largest US public pension fund CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) announced its best set of results in four years. It also bulked up [...]
Foreign takeovers to propel UK M&A volumes above £50bn September 3, 2025 UK markets are bracing for a major bump in mergers and acquisitions with the total value of deals expected to top £50bn in 2025. Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics showed the value of domestic deals jumped to £3.4bn in the second quarter, up £600m from the first three months of the year. [...]
Reeves can’t tax Britain out of the gloom September 3, 2025 With growth stalling, inflation rising, and fiscal headroom gone, Chancellor Reeves must resist the urge to raise taxes and instead make government leaner, smarter and more efficient to keep the economy from sliding into darkness, says Brandon Lewis Winter in the UK is a normally sunless affair. The one we’re headed for will be gloomy [...]
Reform is gathering in Birmingham this week – with plenty to celebrate September 2, 2025 Amidst widespread economic pessimism and the rising salience of immigration, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government faces a collapse in public support as polls show Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surging to a commanding lead, writes Matthew Lesh Last month, Keir Starmer’s family summer escape to Scotland was abruptly cut short by an urgent dash across [...]
Budget 2025: Banks to ‘bear the brunt of higher taxes’ September 2, 2025 UK banks will be the top target as Rachel Reeves looks to drum up cash in the Autumn Budget, a top economist has said. Chatter around a cash grab directed at banks has escalated over the last week after left-wing think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) proposed that the Chancellor raid the quantitative easing [...]
Home Office contractor proposes investor visa for ‘business angels’ September 2, 2025 A Home Office contractor has put forward plans for an investor visa to be re-introduced as advisers claimed a targeted entry route for wealthy foreign nationals would be “dramatically beneficial” for the UK economy. Envestors, an investment service that assesses entrepreneurs applying to enter the UK via the innovator founder visa, has argued that a [...]
Apollo Global Management to launch £3.75bn sport investment vehicle September 2, 2025 New York-based Apollo Global Management is reportedly planning to launch a £3.75bn investment vehicle focused on sport. The firm, which has around £600bn in assets under management, is set to invest permanent capital into sport for the first time with the new fund. Having previously held talks with LaLiga club Atletico Madrid about acquiring a [...]