My favourite Nasdaq-listed, Chinese-owned, Cayman-incorporated Scottish castle August 22, 2025 A question: what’s the fastest-growing hotel group in Britain? You might opt for Premier Inn, the Whitbred-owned budget chain that’s set to open more than 1,000 new rooms this year. A wildcard choice might be Yotel, the group set up by Yo! Sushi man Simon Woodroffe that’s ballooned from a single site in 2007 to two dozen [...]
Post merger A&O Shearman generates £2.9bn in revenue as partner pay falls short of competitors August 22, 2025 The first results following the anticipated merger of A&O Shearman show that equity partners pocketed £2m, slightly below the figures from its legacy Magic Circle firm
Where to eat in Paris, from pho to foie gras August 22, 2025 It’s easy to eat badly in Paris. Of course it’s easy to eat badly in every major city, but instead of the chain restaurants that stitch together London and temper expectations, Paris eating often involves a sprawling brasserie with tiny tables and an average steak haché at far from average price. Paris Syndrome is real. [...]
UK banks carry out sweeping branch closures as customers go digital August 22, 2025 Some of the biggest traditional banks have shut more than one in three of their UK branches over the past five years as they turn away from the high street and dash to bulk up their digital offerings. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of bank, credit union and building [...]
From CND to evangelist: Julia Pyke has nuclear ambitions for Sizewell C August 22, 2025 Julia Pyke has fended off judicial reviews and staunch local opposition, and waded through Britain’s unwieldy Treasury ‘Green Book’ process to get Sizewell C commissioned by the government. Now, she tells Ali Lyon, there’s just the small issue of building what will be the UK’s joint-largest power plant. It was in 1980s Lichfield – the [...]
Government takes control of UK’s third-largest steelworks after collapse August 21, 2025 The UK government has taken control of the country’s third-largest steelworks as near 1,500 workers face uncertainty. Speciality Steels UK (SSUK), which owns major sites such as Liberty Steel in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was put into compulsory liquidation after insolvency courts granted a winding-up order sought by creditors. The creditors said they were owned hundreds [...]
UBS invests in AI data platform amid financial services shift August 21, 2025 UBS, the world’s largest wealth manager, has announced an expansion of its partnership with enterprise AI platform provider Domino Data Lab, which includes a new equity investment. The move signals the bank’s focus on scaling AI across its operations, though it emphasises the need for robust governance and risk management to ensure a responsible rollout. [...]
New property tax will mean more over-65s living in family homes they don’t need August 21, 2025 More than half of Brits living in homes too big for them. We need incentives for over-65s to downsize, not punitive property taxes.
Work and study visas fall in push to reduce immigration August 21, 2025 Work visas issued to migrants have fallen by 36 per cent compared to last year, fresh data has revealed, as tightened rules on skilled workers and care providers have lowered the numbers of people arriving in the UK. The Labour government is under considerable pressure to cut net migration from previous peaks of nearly one [...]
Hays slashes dividend as profit plummets August 21, 2025 Hays reported drops across most of its financial lines as the group battles a challenging hiring market, forcing it to reduce its final dividend for shareholders.