Green belt homes ‘needed’ to solve housing crisis, Sadiq Khan says May 15, 2025 London is suffering a chronic housing shortage. Lacklustre rates of housebuilding have helped push up the cost of a home to well beyond the reach of ordinary Londoners. The price of an average terrace house in Camden has roughly tripled compared to twenty years ago to more than £1.5m today, Land Registry data shows, while [...]
Champagne Lanson sales fail to fizz as prices rise May 9, 2025 Champagne Lanson suffered a sharp drop in its UK sales in 2024 as drinkers turned their backs on bars and restaurants amid the cost-of-living crisis. New accounts filed with Companies House show the brand’s turnover was slashed from £45.2m to £35.5m last year while its pre-tax profit also fell from £1.7m to £819,000. The champagne [...]
Revolut, Monzo and Wise: The UK fintechs slapped with the most complaints May 9, 2025 Fintechs may be giving banks a run for their money on innovation, but fresh data reveals they’re also competing on the unenviable field of complaints. New figures from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) showed Monzo and Revolut topped the fintech industry for the most complaints. Both firms’ customer bases swelled to over 10m users in [...]
What the Bank of England’s interest rate cut means for your mortgage May 8, 2025 The Bank of England has reduced rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4.25 per cent in a hotly anticipated cut that will leave homeowners with big decisions for their mortgage deals. The reduced cost for banks to borrow money will have broad implications for the mortgage market, as banks lower interest rates on loans. Major [...]
Bank of England cuts interest rate in split decision May 8, 2025 The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 4.25 per cent in a split decision dividing hawks and doves. The Bank’s policymakers suggested that President Trump’s aggressive tariffs on China were “more likely to be disinflationary than inflationary”, with price growth expected to level off to its two per cent target by the end [...]
High-tax Britain is losing the race for global talent April 29, 2025 High taxes, fiscal drag and the cost of living mean London is no longer the destination of choice for skilled employees – and competitors like the Basque Country are feeling the benefits, says Ivan Jimenez I’m a proud native of the Basque Country in northern Spain, but having spent a lot of time in the [...]
Why Donald Trump’s ‘bucks for babies’ plan won’t work April 29, 2025 Donald Trump is proposing a $5,000 “baby bonus” to reverse America’s plunging birthrates, but it’s an approach that has failed everywhere it’s been tried, says Eliza Filby Elon Musk calls it a crisis more serious than climate change. US Vice President JD Vance warns of the “rejection of the American family”. Now Donald Trump is [...]
US tariffs threaten to derail UK economic growth, EY warns April 28, 2025 UK economic growth could slow sharply over the next two years as US tariffs weigh heavy on spending and investment, and uncertainty washes over households and businesses, new forecasts show. Recovery from a period of stagnant growth will be directly hampered by US President Donald Trump’s plans, EY Item Club said in a new report. [...]
Green shoots for jobs market as both vacancies and wages rise April 28, 2025 Job vacancies have grown for a second straight month in a positive sign for the UK economy, although retail has continued to struggle. Vacancies grew year-on-year for the first time since July 2022, up 1.03 per cent to 871,168, according to Adzuna. Average salaries similarly continued climbing to £41,962 in March 2025, a 1.12 per [...]
Zopa Bank: UK fintech doubles profit amid IPO speculation April 24, 2025 Digital bank Zopa doubled its pre-tax profit in its second full year of profitability as the London fintech continued its upward trajectory ahead of a possible IPO. The Canary Wharf-based business pocketed £34.2m in the 2024 financial year, up from £16.8m in 2023. Revenue grew 30.2 per cent to £303.4m. This was driven by an [...]