UK business set to gain big from India trade deal, says minister June 19, 2025 UK firms in financial services, pharmaceuticals and education are poised to benefit from a long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) with India, according to India’s minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, who described the two nations as “very complimentary” and “comfortable working with eachother”. Speaking at the India Global Forum in London on Wednesday, Goyal [...]
Sir James Dyson is right to warn on Labour’s damaging policies June 19, 2025 Sir James Dyson knows a thing or two about how to build a business. In an impassioned piece in The Sun yesterday he reflected on his own entrepreneurial experiences, saying “It took me 5,127 prototypes, each made by hand…I was on the brink of bankruptcy before I found success.” He set out his concerns that [...]
Jonathan Reynolds backs UK-India trade deal despite Tory tax backlash June 18, 2025 As the UK and India move into the final phase of negotiations on a landmark free trade agreement (FTA), business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds has doubled down on his support of the deal – despite mounting Conservative criticism over provisions relating to labour mobility and taxation. The UK-India FTA, concluded in principle on 6 [...]
Insurer Allianz to cut 650 UK jobs June 18, 2025 German insurance giant Allianz has informed its UK staff that 650 jobs will be cut across several lines of its business
Speedy Hire swings to loss amid depot closures June 18, 2025 Speedy Hire has slumped into the red as it grapples with a challenging economic backdrop and tax hikes announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. The London-listed firm, an equipment hire specialist, swung to a pre-tax loss of £1.5m in the year ended 31 March, 2025, down from gains of £5.1m the prior 12 months. [...]
Inflation overshoots expectations ahead of Bank of England meeting June 18, 2025 Inflation hit 3.4 per cent in the year to May, official data has revealed, which is set to be the final set of data Bank of England officials receive before coming to an interest rates decision on Thursday. Data published by the Office for National Statistics showed services price growth, which is closely monitored by [...]
Council finances in dire straits, MPs say June 18, 2025 Councils could run out of money in 2026 due to unsustainable book balancing methods, according to parliamentarians. The hike in national insurance contributions (NIC), combined with spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), has squeezed local council finances, a new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found. Despite Reform’s DOGE campaign, they [...]
St James’ Place: Labour’s dividend tax plans could backfire June 18, 2025 Any attempt to get more cash through increasing the top rate of tax on dividends may backfire and instead dry up revenue streams, Chancellor Reeves has been warned, as investors look to this year’s Autumn Budget with a sense of dread. Reeves is poised to hike taxes later this year by as much as £20bn [...]
Legal & General: FTSE 100 giant touts asset management plans June 18, 2025 Legal & General is set to delve further into the asset management markets after outlining its fresh growth plan on Tuesday. The firm’s asset management arm, which oversees £1.1 trillion in assets, is setting out targets for the coming year to notch over £500m in operating profit. If successful, this would mark a sharp jump [...]
Law firm mergers down as lawyers hold out for private equity appetite June 17, 2025 Mergers within the UK legal market have declined in the past year as lawyers are holding out for a bite from private equity.