Consumer confidence ticks up but ‘little evidence’ of recovery March 21, 2025 Consumer confidence rose by one point in March as Brits became more pessimistic about their own finances but more optimistic about the UK’s. The overall effect was to push confidence up to -19 in March, from -20 in February and -21 in March last year. The index remained below its long-term average. “If consumer confidence [...]
UK wage growth remains hot as Bank of England set to decide on interest rates March 20, 2025 Wage growth has continued to soar, new figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that annual regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 5.9 per cent between November 2024 and January 2025. Total pay growth, which includes bonuses, increased by 5.8 per cent. “Overall pay growth remains relatively strong, with pay growth high in [...]
Lloyd’s of London’s profit drops despite premium growth March 20, 2025 Lloyd’s of London, the world’s leading insurance and reinsurance marketplace, has reported a profit before tax of £9.6bn for 2024, a drop from the £10.7bn reported for 2023. The market, which is made up of more than 50 leading insurance companies and over 380 registered Lloyd’s brokers, recorded gross written premiums of £55.5bn for 2024, [...]
Prudential: FTSE 100 insurer smashes profit expectations March 20, 2025 FTSE 100 insurer Prudential beat profit expectations amid news it is considering spinning off its Indian asset management business. The firm reported adjusted operating profit before tax of $3.1bn (£2.4bn), up 10 per cent and above analyst expectations of $3bn, it revealed in its full-year results. As expected by analysts, Prudential also increased its dividend [...]
‘I lament the pairing of trainers with suits’: Cheaney shoes’ Jonathan Church on swapping banking for brogues March 20, 2025 Church's shoes Jonathan Church is a veteran of the British footwear business. He tells us why he swapped banking for brogues.
Is Sadiq Khan finally getting something right on London’s nightlife? March 20, 2025 It has taken eight years – and the appointment of one disastrous night czar – but Sadiq Khan is finally listening to industry when it comes to the future of London’s after hours leisure economy, writes James Ford As a former aide to the previous Mayor of London, it is very rare that I find [...]
Bullish Gen Z bucks consumer confidence trend March 20, 2025 Gen Z’s plans to go big on spending in the next three months have contributed to a rise in consumer confidence, a new survey has suggested. Barclays last year predicted in November that people born between 1996 and 2010 would account for around 39 per cent of retail spending by 2030. Now a new survey [...]
England could ditch Twickenham for Milton Keynes over council row March 19, 2025 England could quit Twickenham and play their rugby internationals in Milton Keynes because of Richmond upon Thames Council, chief Bill Sweeney has warned. The Rugby Football Union needs to fund a £663m redevelopment of Allianz Stadium in Twickenham but has previously admitted that some of the financing for this would need to come from non-rugby [...]
PMQs: Starmer won’t repeat pledge to unfreeze income tax thresholds March 19, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “plotting stealth taxes” after he failed to repeat Rachel Reeves’ pledge to unfreeze income tax thresholds. The Prime Minister was pushed on his economic plans ahead of next week’s spring statement – which Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded an “emergency budget”. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, [...]
Will Rachel Reeves hike taxes in her first Spring Statement? March 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to make her first Spring Statement next week, and rumours are starting to swirl that the tax hikes could be on the cards as she tries to get the government debt under control. Given the Chancellor’s commitment to just one major fiscal event a year the Spring Statement is intended [...]