Lloyd’s of London reports ‘superb’ first half but warns of digitisation delays September 5, 2024 Lloyd’s of London, the storied insurance market and one of the world’s largest providers of reinsurance, has reported a jump in profit today but warned its landmark digitisation project was taking “longer than expected”. Lloyd’s reported an overall profit before tax of £4.9bn in the first half of 2024, up from the figure of £3.9bn [...]
UK unlikely to move into ‘fast lane’ despite surprisingly strong growth this year September 5, 2024 The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has lifted its growth forecasts for the economy this year, but remained doubtful that the UK would move into the “fast lane” any time soon. The business group’s latest quarterly projections suggest the UK will grow 1.1 per cent this year, an upgrade on its previous estimate of 0.8 [...]
Playing nice with trade unions won’t fix public services September 5, 2024 With trade unions promising further strike action despite generous pay settlements, Labour have found themselves in a bind of their own making, say Matthew Lesh Throughout the election campaign, Keir Starmer repeatedly pledged to end strikes by engaging in constructive dialogue with the unions. This always sounded like a pretty hollow promise. How could simply talking to [...]
RFU and Premiership Rugby sign landmark deal to shape future of game September 4, 2024 Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney hailed a “significant milestone” in the English game on Wednesday as the national governing body, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players Association yesterday agreed a new eight-year Professional Game Partnership. The swathes of changes to the English game will see the national coach Steve Borthwick given dominion over [...]
UK set to be the ‘standout performer’ among major economies September 4, 2024 Analysts at Panmure Liberum think the UK will be the “standout performer” among major economies in the months to come with firms set to benefit from strengthening domestic demand. In a note published this morning, the City brokerage discussed its early cycle indicator (ECI), a tool for predicting how economies are likely to perform over [...]
Services firms benefit from post-election stability and rosy economic outlook September 4, 2024 The survey put activity in the services sector at its fastest pace since April, extending the current period of growth to ten months.
Direct Line returns to profit but customers flee after firm hikes insurance prices September 4, 2024 Direct Line's operating profit undershot expectations for the first half of 2024 as the firm shed more than a quarter of a million motor insurance customers following price hikes.
Haven and Warner Hotels owner slips into the red after Butlin’s sale September 4, 2024 The group behind Haven holiday parks and Warner Leisure Hotels fell into the red after the sale of Butlin’s, it has been revealed. Bourne Leisure, which is owned by investment giant Blackstone, has reported a pre-tax loss of £166.5m for 2023, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The loss comes after the group reported [...]
Gulf Marine Services posts fall in net profit as it slashes debt September 4, 2024 Gulf Marine Services (GMS) posted a hefty dent in net profit in its half-year results despite a sizeable rise in revenue, as the highly levered business continues to focus on debt reduction. The London-listed oil services provider, which operates self-propelled and elevating support vessels for the oil sector out of the United Arab Emirates, saw [...]
Barratt: Profit halves at housebuilder but firm optimistic after Redrow deal September 4, 2024 Housebuilder Barratt reported a halving in profit and drop in completions amid a challenging housing market, but has said it is optimistic about the future. Barratt said its total home completions in the year ended 30 June reached 14,004, down 18.6 per cent from 17,206 in 2023 but at the upper end of the company’s [...]