‘Subdued’ services sector suffers steep drop as tax hikes bite October 3, 2025 Business activity expansion fell to a five-month low after a “subdued” services sector experienced a dull end to the third quarter. S&P’s UK Services Purchasing Managers Index Business Activity tumbled to 50.8 in September, falling steeply from the 16-month high of 54.2 secured in August. “This summer’s acceleration in output growth is now looking like [...]
JD Wetherspoon: Profit rockets as Tim Martin takes jab at tax rises October 3, 2025 JD Wetherspoon has reported another successful quarter after outperforming the wider hospitality market again, although boss Tim Martin has warned on the effects of taxing the sector too hard. The pub giant told markets this morning that like-for-like sales rose 5.1 per cent year on year, while revenue rose 4.5 per cent to £2.12bn. Profit [...]
OBR hands Rachel Reeves first damning pre-Budget report on UK economy October 3, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves its first evaluation of the state of the UK economy and crippled public finances, setting policy discussions about likely £30bn tax rises and possible savings in motion. The OBR’s Budget Responsibility Committee, which consists of the economists Richard Hughes, David Miles and Tom Josephs, [...]
Lord Mayor: ‘Schizophrenic’ City needs more positivity October 2, 2025 The City of London is suffering from a bout of “extraordinary schizophrenia” that has left it devoid of confidence at a time when other markets still view it as one of the world’s eminent financial centres, the Lord Mayor has said. In one of the last speeches he will make in post before his term [...]
UK ‘open for business’ as tech M&A surges October 2, 2025 The UK tech sector is experiencing a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), driven by a combination of domestic innovation, international investment and the rapid adoption of AI. “The UK is definitely open for business”, investment banker Victor Basta told City AM. “It has enormous talent, and for international companies, particularly those who can’t invest [...]
Tesco boss warns Reeves that ‘enough’s enough’ ahead of Budget October 2, 2025 Tesco boss Ken Murphy has warned Rachel Reeves that business will struggle to absorb more costs as fears rise of another tax raid in this Budget. UK retailers were hit by higher labour costs after an increase in the minimum wage and employer’s national insurance costs this April, after changes made at last October’s budget [...]
How An Executive MBA Creates Career Impact Through Lifelong Networks October 2, 2025 For many professionals, choosing an Executive MBA is about more than academic achievement. It’s a chance to reshape their careers, broaden their perspectives, and join a lifelong network of peers who challenge and inspire them. At Bayes Business School, the Executive MBA is designed to do exactly that, bringing together accomplished individuals from diverse industries [...]
Wagamama owner sheds 2,000 jobs as losses widen October 2, 2025 The owner of Wagamama shed more than 2,000 jobs as its losses widened during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The Restaurant Group, whose other major brand is Brunning & Price, has posted a pre-tax loss of £32.2m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The total comes after the business [...]
The scandal of the defence start-ups getting debanked October 2, 2025 No one should be debanked – made effectively bankrupt – because of their political views, but when it’s done to start-ups vital to defence, it endangers us all, says James Graham Few knew what debanking was in the summer of 2023 when news emerged that Nigel Farage’s account had been shut down. His bank initially [...]
Stop lecturing consumers on climate change, make them afraid October 2, 2025 No one understands the 2°C climate change target, it’s time to reframe the debate around the real, tangible impact of climate change – like floods and wildfires, says Lewis Liu I was recently at a dinner for venture capital investors in New York when someone asked me, “As a trained physicist, what’s more investable: fusion [...]