Recession fears as insolvencies creep up amid construction woes November 18, 2025 The number of insolvencies crept up in October, official data has shown, amid further pressures on the construction industry and worries that Budget measures may sound the death knell for struggling companies. Data released by the Insolvency Service showed a 1.7 per cent month-on-month rise in insolvencies. On a year-on-year basis, official numbers show insolvencies [...]
British Basketball Federation ignored warnings before liquidation, says SLB owner November 17, 2025 The owner of Manchester Basketball has accused the British Basketball Federation of failing to heed the warning of Super League Basketball clubs before its collapse into liquidation. The governing body, which was responsible for running the Great Britain national teams and securing UK Sport funding for its elite programmes, appointed an insolvency firm last week. [...]
Official: British Basketball Federation goes into liquidation, GBBL assessing legal options November 14, 2025 The British Basketball Federation has gone into liquidation, blaming “a significant and unanticipated reduction in income and unforeseen expenditure”. The BBF said it had been unable to meet its liabilities and had appointed insolvency firm Begbies Traynor to assist in placing it in liquidation. It follows a damaging legal battle with Super League Basketball over [...]
‘Death by a thousand cuts’: Possible booze tax hike slammed November 14, 2025 The hospitality industry has slammed a possible tax hike on wine and spirits, arguing that it would be a “depressing prospect” for the struggling sector. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a 4.5 per cent increase in taxes on alcohol in line with a higher reading of inflation, according to reports. “We’re all fed up with [...]
Christmas comes early for Young’s as party bookings surge November 13, 2025 One of the UK’s biggest pub groups has seen a surge in festive parties as the London-listed firm reported rising sales. Young’s, which operates nearly 300 pubs across London and the south of England, reported a 22 per cent rise in Christmas bookings compared to last year. “Christmas seems to be getting bigger every year,” [...]
Fuller’s boss hits out at ‘lack of clear plan’ from Chancellor amid Budget fears November 12, 2025 The boss of one of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at a “lack of clear plan” from the Chancellor as the hospitality sector braces for another round of tax rises at the forthcoming Budget. Simon Emeny, executive chair of Fuller’s, said the government needed “new ideas, new thinking” if it is to live [...]
Exclusive: Middlesex to play just two T20 Blast games at Lord’s in 2026 November 12, 2025 Middlesex will play just two Twenty20 Blast matches at Lord’s next year in a further indication of their declining foothold at the Home of Cricket. The 13-time county champions have been tenants at Lord’s since 1864 and have a 12-month rental agreement with the Marylebone Cricket Club that is renewed on an annual basis, but [...]
Pub closures reach new high as hospitality braces for Budget November 6, 2025 Pubs and bars are closing at the fastest rate seen this century, fresh City AM analysis has found, as rising costs squeeze many in the hospitality sector to the point of collapse. The number of British pubs and bar businesses appointing liquidators or administrators surged to 449 in the first 10 months of the year, [...]
Exclusive: Leicester Tigers and DCMS face scrutiny over £6m Covid loan renegotiation November 5, 2025 Leicester Tigers and DCMS are facing questions after they altered the repayment terms of the club’s £6m Covid-19 loan to interest-only until 2028. The change, which only emerged in the Prem Rugby club’s most recent financial accounts, casts further doubt on DCMS’s chances of recouping its £474m lending to sporting and cultural bodies – raising [...]
Reeves’ Budget tax hikes force nearly 5,000 pubs to the brink November 3, 2025 The tax hikes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Budget have contributed to almost 5,000 pubs now being rated at maximum risk and becoming technically insolvent, according to new research. Figures from Price Bailey have revealed that just over 4,7000 pubs are now in that position, a 14 per cent rise on this [...]