Family-run construction firms pushed ‘to brink’ by inheritance tax April 1, 2026 Family-run construction firms are being pushed to the brink of insolvency by reforms to inheritance tax which undermine Labour’s housebuilding target, a trade body has warned. Plant-hire firms – which provide machinery and services to the construction sector – are almost always family run and are being forced to scale back by inheritance tax changes, [...]
Mark Kleinman: Industry steels itself for long road to recovery March 19, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column Industry steels itself for long road to recovery Steel yourselves: I make no apology for returning for the umpteenth time in this column to the future of the UK’s beleaguered steel industry. More than five years since [...]
Global trade runs on trust – that’s why insurance is important in a time of war March 13, 2026 The Iran conflict could be devastating, but while risks evolve and routes shift, trade continues to find a way, says Benoit Urbin As expected, the latest military escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has reintroduced uncertainty into global markets. Energy markets have already come under upward pressure due to the risk of supply [...]
Is South East Water’s £22m fine a step towards total renationalisation? March 10, 2026 The total mess that Thames Water and South East Water find themselves in – which touch on issues of environmental neglect, underinvestment in critical infrastructure, the limits of privatisation and the role of shareholders in utility companies that operate an effective monopoly – could be a harbinger of what’s to come, says Brett Israel Last [...]
Fish and chip shops under threat as Iran war spikes energy prices March 6, 2026 Britain’s beloved fish and chip shops could go under as they brace for the boom in energy and import costs caused by the Iran war, an industry leader has warned. Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), told City AM chippie owners across the country are expecting the conflict to add [...]
Lex Greensill seeks to throw out director ban March 5, 2026 The government’s bid to disqualify the boss of collapsed lender Greensill Group from directing companies in the UK for 12 years should be thrown out as there “cannot be a fair trial”, the High Court has been told. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) began proceedings against Lex Greensill in 2024 after the Insolvency [...]
On this day: The collapse of Barings Bank February 26, 2026 On 26 February 1995, 31 years ago today, Baring Bank, one of the City’s most venerable institutions, was declared insolvent after a massive fraud by one of its employees, Nick Leeson, recalls Eliot Wilson In the 1990s, following the wake of Big Bang and the influx of brash but wealthy, “Greed is good, greed is [...]
Chesterfield FC bids to be pilot for Independent Football Regulator February 19, 2026 League Two club Chesterfield have offered to be a pilot club for the Independent Football Regulator to ensure their financial controls are aligned. It comes as the Spireites released their accounts to shareholders for their first season back in the football league after a six-year absence. Chesterfield cites that the club – sixth in the [...]
Third of young Brits brew business ideas at the pub February 18, 2026 A third of young Brits have come up with a business idea over a pint at their local boozer, new research has revealed. Brits are finding unlikely entrepreneurial inspiration in pubs as 18 per cent of all people in the UK have had a light-bulb business moment here, according to new polling by GoDaddy. This [...]
Hospitality crisis pushed thousands of firms to shut in 2025 February 17, 2026 Thousands of hospitality industries were forced to call time last year, as soaring operating costs took their toll. The owners of 3,353 accommodation, food and drink firms entered insolvency proceedings in the twelve months to December 2025, according to the Buchler Phillips hospitality index. These insolvencies spell out the impact of food inflation and climbing [...]