Businesses are bracing for trans policy rewrites April 30, 2025 Campaigners and watchdogs say the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on trans inclusion in the Equality Act brought clarity. But for bosses, the topic is likely to become even more of a minefield, says Ali Lyon. Ever since her appointment as chair of the UK’s human rights watchdog in 2020, Baroness Falkner has been convinced that [...]
Ed Miliband’s reckless Net Zero ideology April 29, 2025 Rumours persist that Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, could be shunted out of his role when the Prime Minister conducts his first major reshuffle since last summer’s election victory. Keir Starmer has the perfect excuse; the world has changed. He’s fond of saying that, and of course it’s true; huge changes are afoot and the global economy [...]
Oxford Street pedestrianisation: Don’t let local objections ruin the nation’s high street April 29, 2025 Pedestrianising Oxford Street will unlock benefits for the whole country. We can't let local politics derail it, writes Ben Johnson.
HSBC shares jump as lender ups bad loan provisions after tariff chaos April 29, 2025 HSBC shares rose in early trading after the lender increased provisions for loan losses in its first-quarter report. The FTSE 100 giant’s stock jumped two per cent as trade war woes clouded the lender’s results. The bank raised expected credit losses to $876m (£653m), from $202m in a stark indication of firm’s outlook on the [...]
Bank of England ‘killing’ UK stablecoin ambitions, body warns April 29, 2025 The Bank of England risks “killing” London’s potential to become a global hub for stablecoins with its “prescriptive” rules, an industry body has warned, as it called for the rapid creation of a regulatory regime to support use of the digital assets. London’s dominance of the foreign exchange market, in which it accounts for as [...]
Welcome to the shape-shifting world of big tech taxes April 29, 2025 Axing the Digital Services Tax may be the price Britain pays for a trade deal with the US, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the back of tech taxes, says Tim Sarson Just a few days ago, Rachel Reeves was strolling in, to paraphrase Flanders and Swan, the geopolitical zoo that is Washington DC, attempting [...]
EY: Two years of slow UK growth means ‘increased chances’ of tax rises April 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves may have to resort to reversing Labour manifesto tax pledges as UK growth fails to exceed one per cent for two years running, EY ITEM Club have said, in the latest blow to the chancellor’s fiscal plans The Chancellor has been warned by several forecasters that President Trump’s tariffs will hammer the UK [...]
Why there’s still plenty to cheer about in the City of London April 28, 2025 Forget the doomsayers, there's still plenty to cheer about here in the City of London, writes Chris Hayward.
Mobico: National Express owner’s school bus deal leaves much to be desired April 25, 2025 National Express owner Mobico has at long last agreed a deal to flog off its struggling North American school bus division. The London-listed bus and coach firm on Friday unveiled plans for a £457m sale to the US infrastructure investor, I Squared Capital. Its school bus segment had weighed on shares since the pandemic amid [...]
David Kogan: Media grandee set to chair football regulator April 25, 2025 Media heavyweight David Kogan OBE, a former advisor to the Premier League with links to the Labour party, has been named the government’s preferred candidate to chair the independent football regulator. Kogan, 67, has seen off competition from serial football club executive Christian Purslow, equality campaigner Sanjay Bhandari and former parliamentary expenses watchdog Professor Sir [...]