UK unemployment will surpass pandemic high, says JP Morgan February 24, 2026 UK unemployment will brush past its peak in the Covid-19 pandemic, Wall Street’s biggest bank has predicted, as employer’s still feel the brunt of Rachel Reeves’ cash grabs. The rate of unemployed Brits is tipped to reach 5.5 per cent by the late spring, according to a forecast by JP Morgan, which would mark an [...]
Pubs to open late during World Cup – a life raft for hospitality? February 24, 2026 Though the Labour government and the country’s thousands of pub landlords have very rarely seen eye-to-eye in recent months, the World Cup could bring a summer truce to this fiery dispute. Hospitality trade bodies and one of the country’s biggest pub chains have told City AM they welcome the government’s move to allow pubs to [...]
Top entrepreneurs demand ‘radical reset’ in new campaign February 24, 2026 Britain is entrenched in a narrative of decline that can only be reversed with a radical political and cultural reset, a group of top entrepreneurs has warned at the launch of a campaign to improve the investment and trading environment for Britain’s fastest-growing companies. Spearheaded by Ovo Energy founder Stephen Fitzpatrick and Founders Factory chair [...]
KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Ares European Direct Lending CLO 2 Sarl February 23, 2026 KBRA UK (KBRA) assigns preliminary ratings to six classes of Notes issued by Ares European Direct Lending CLO 2 Sarl, a cash flow collateralized loan obligation (CLO) backed by a diversified portfolio of middle market corporate loans. This transaction is a multicurrency European middle market CLO. Ares European Direct Lending CLO 2 Sarl is managed [...]
Lady Mayor: London must deepen ties with America’s emerging powerhouses February 23, 2026 The US is more than just two coasts. Miami, Dallas and Texas are booking and London is perfectly placed to feel the benefits, says Susan Langley A huge part of the impact of the mayoralty is the 100 days spent overseas, championing the sector and deepening relationships in key markets. When people talk about UK-US [...]
The polling is clear: UK public is finally ready for serious NHS reform February 23, 2026 New polling shows the public mood has shifted on the NHS. The government must respond, writes Dr Emmanuel Igwe.
Minimum wage is lowering standards of living, argues Wetherspoons boss February 21, 2026 The founder and chairman of budget pub chain JD Wetherspoon has warned that minimum wage is making lowering people’s living standards by limiting companies’ ability to increase pay and hire. Sir Tim Martin argued that rather than serve as a safety net to protect workers, minimum wage is now doing more harm than good, following [...]
Private sector axes more jobs amid Reeves’ tax and wage pressures February 20, 2026 The UK’s private sectors culled jobs for the seventeenth consecutive month in February led by a significant drop in the services sector as businesses were still digesting the impact of Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget. The latest flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global described the rate of job shedding in February as at a [...]
Money Supermarket integrates with ChatGPT in battle to fend off AI threat February 20, 2026 Money Supermarket has launched its own ChatGPT app as the comparison service seeks to quell investor fears over the threat to its business from AI. The new ChatGPT app allows users to access Money Supermarket services directly within the ChatGPT interface, creating a conversational way to search, compare and find deals, without leaving the chat [...]
Modernisation and missteps: Lloyd’s of London struggles for a new era February 19, 2026 Lloyd’s of London, one of the world’s largest (re)insurance markets, has faced its fair share of battles in recent years, and one of the biggest fights has been against itself and its old-fashioned ways. Back in 2018, the incoming chief executive, John Neal, had an ambitious mandate: to restore stability and modernise Lloyd’s following a period [...]