Business confidence hits two-year high ahead of Budget September 6, 2026 Business confidence has risen to a near-two-year high as the output of UK firms grows despite the looming October Budget. The optimism of British firms has reached its highest level since just before the 2024 Autumn Budget, according to advisory firm BDO. Its business optimism index jumped to 94.22 in August, fuelled by a strong [...]
Prince Harry’s courtroom defeat could drive up legal insurance premiums August 30, 2026 Prince Harry’s High Court defeat to the owner of the Daily Mail could send legal insurance premiums soaring, experts have warned, after the Duke and six other high-profile figures were left on the hook for an uninsured bill of £19m. The Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, actresses Liz Hurley [...]
Mortgage rate hikes cost London homebuyers £35,000 August 27, 2026 The surging mortgage rates caused by the Iran war have forced the average London homebuyer to fork out an extra £35,500 for their deposit. The rising cost of borrowing caused by the Middle East conflict has meant that the average deposit in the UK is £18,400 higher than in January – though costs have risen [...]
Prince Harry hit with £9.5m Daily Mail legal bill August 21, 2026 Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures have been ordered to pay £9.54m towards the Daily Mail publisher’s legal costs after losing their long-running privacy case. Judge Matthew Nicklin Nicklin ruled on Friday that the claimants must make an interim payment of £9,544,355 to Associated Newspapers by 28 August, after the publisher ran up costs [...]
Premier League: US owners dominate over half of 20 clubs August 21, 2026 The Premier League returns this evening for its 35th season, and clubs have become commodities traded by some of the world’s richest and most influential investors. From private equity funds to billionaires to sovereign wealth, this current crop of 20 team owners – this season seeing Hull City, Coventry City and Ipswich Town replacing Burnley, [...]
Prince Harry braces for eye watering legal bill after Daily Mail defeat August 20, 2026 The litigation costs Prince Harry and a group of six other household names will have to pay the Daily Mail’s publisher are set to be decided on Friday after the group lost their high-profile phone-hacking case. The celebrity group waged a long-running legal battle against Associated Newspapers over allegations of illegal information gathering and phone [...]
State ready to Star on the Knavesmire August 19, 2026 THURSDAY brings us the second of four days of racing from York’s Ebor Festival, with the fillies and mares taking centre stage. Another 19 two-year-old fillies will take to the Knavesmire to test their credentials for next year’s Classics in the Group Two Lowther Stakes (1.50pm) The ground has been a big talking point heading [...]
House prices in wealthy London boroughs fall by up to £300,000 August 19, 2026 House prices in London’s most sought-after areas plummeted further in June, with the average price in some postcodes falling by nearly £300,000 year on year. London’s average house price slipped by 2.5 per cent to £554,000 in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Though this was a softer fall [...]
House prices suffer biggest August slump in eight years August 17, 2026 House prices in the UK have suffered their biggest August drop since 2018, as a usually quiet period for the property market is stifled further by fears of Budget tax rises. The average house price slumped by two per cent this month to £364,999, according to property portal Rightmove. House prices are down one per [...]
House prices slump as Iran war and interest rates hit demand July 31, 2026 House prices slumped in July after the Iran war and higher interest rates squeezed demand and triggered a slowdown in sales. Annual house price growth slowed to 1.8 last month, down from 2.2 per cent the prior month. Month on month, average house prices remained broadly flat, rising by just £58 to reach £277,542, up [...]