Reeves’ impossible mission to save the public finances – in four charts May 22, 2025 Government borrowing spiked in April, according to official data, in a stark illustration of the difficult fiscal tightrope that the Chancellor Reeves is walking. The £20.2bn in monthly borrowing was steeper than economists’ prediction of £18bn. So, Reeves might have shivered when she heard Keir Starmer tell the House of Commons winter fuel payments would [...]
Mitchells & Butlers: Profit at All Bar One owner jumps as Brits keep spending May 22, 2025 All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers has reported half-year profit ahead of the market despite significant cost headwinds. The All Bar One and Harvester owner told markets this morning that total revenue reached £1,454m in the 28 weeks ended April 12, up four per cent year on year. Operating profit rose 10 per cent to [...]
Why your next car will be grey and your next thought will be too May 22, 2025 The decline of colour in consumer products mirrors a troubling trend in AI, where bias and homogenisation threaten intellectual diversity, societal fairness, and the integrity of human knowledge itself, says Lewis Liu This week we’re getting a new family car. When my wife texted me the website showing color choices, I texted back, “I cannot [...]
Reeves warned against bank tax raid May 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves has been warned of the growth consequences of upping tax on lenders after a leaked memo from Angela Rayner called for the Chancellor to launch a cash grab on banks. Reeves was sent a memo by the Deputy Prime Minister ahead of the spring Statement, which called for an annual £700m hike on [...]
‘Governance horror-show’: AVI hits out at takeover plan from Dan Loeb-backed Third Point May 21, 2025 A major shareholder of a London-listed business backed by New York hedge fund manager Dan Loeb has hit out at its planned takeover of a US insurer. AVI, which controls a 7.1 per cent share of Third Point Investors, described its takeover proposal as a “governance horror-show”. “Third Point Investors has for some time been [...]
Deloitte UK financial performance to impact staff bonuses May 21, 2025 UK staff bonuses at Deloitte UK will take the firm's 2025 performance in each of its arms into account after it was reported the firm is already running behind
Shoe Zone given a kicking as shares slump after losses revealed May 21, 2025 Shares in Shoe Zone have suffered a huge drop after the retailer revealed it had fallen to a loss during the first half of its financial year. The Leicester-headquartered company has reported a pre-tax loss of £2.3m for the six months to 29 March, 2025. The business had previous posted a pre-tax profit of £2.6m [...]
Reeves’ taxes push inflation to 3.5 per cent in ‘Awful April’ May 21, 2025 Inflation bounced back up to 3.5 per cent in April, official data has revealed, underlining the cost burden firms are taking on after Chancellor Reeves’ tax hikes on employers and rise to the national living wage came into effect. Consumer price inflation rose by 1.2 per cent on a month-on-month basis, higher than the last [...]
M&S raises dividend after profit surge – despite cyber hit May 21, 2025 Marks and Spencer has boosted its dividend after reporting profit at a 15-year high, despite the significant impact of its ongoing attack. M&S told investors it would raise its yearly dividend by 20 per cent to 3.6p this year. The dividend boost came after the high street darling told markets that profit before tax and [...]
Reeves’ risky borrowing policies prompt fresh tax hike fears May 20, 2025 Tax hike fears are gathering pace as rising borrowing costs are set to wipe out around half of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ small £9.9bn headroom, a leading economics consultancy has warned. Reeves made around £14bn in spending cuts at her Spring Statement two months ago but left herself with one of the slimmest fiscal buffers on [...]