Safe as houses? Landsec bets on build-to-rent May 16, 2025 Property investment group Land Securities – known as Landsec – has turned away from offices and towards housebuilding in a major pivot. It said long-term demographic trends made housing a better bet than the cyclical office market, which is set to slow from its current high growth rate as supply constraints ease The company’s chief [...]
Inside new City of London summer festival with free events throughout July May 16, 2025 Exclusive: The City of London is hardly famed for its cultural events, but that’s something event organisers working with The Leadenhall Building, otherwise known as The Cheesegrater, are looking to change this summer with the announcement of a new festival. Dozens of free-to-attend events are taking place in the City of London this July as [...]
Natwest and Lloyds to rake in millions from a ring-fencing shakeup May 16, 2025 Natwest and Lloyds are set for a major cash bump if Chancellor Rachel Reeves rips up the ring-fencing regime imposed on lenders, fresh data shows. FTSE 100 banking giants have lobbied the Chancellor to axe the system, which they described as a “drag on banks”. The bosses of HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest and Santander slammed the [...]
Ofwat: Water regulator courts investors with refreshed PFI deals May 16, 2025 Ofwat is courting investors with plans to guarantee risk and minimise competition as it looks for more than £50bn to upgrade the water sector’s second-rate infrastructure. Private investors will have the “right to collect” revenue from customers, “opportunities for upside”, “capped liabilities” and “investment positive” support from the government, according to a briefing paper seen [...]
One in ten Brits have no cash savings, City regulator says May 16, 2025 One in ten Brits do not have any cash savings, the City regulator has warned, concerning signs that hundreds of thousands of people could be unable to cover emergency bills. New research by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has also suggested that a fifth of people have less than £1,000 available to draw on The [...]
Landsec boosts profit amid residential and retail pivot May 16, 2025 Property investment group Land Securities – known as Landsec – has reported a five per cent boost amid a strategic repositioning of the firm’s commercial property portfolio in favour of residential and retail property. Profit before tax rose to £395m from £341m, as the group plans to invest £1bn in retail and more than £2bn [...]
Org Group acquires UK tech recruitment firm in global expansion May 16, 2025 Multinational professional services firm Org Group has acquired Manchester-based technology recruitment firm Venturi, in a strategic move that expands its presence in Germany and the US, and strengthen its capabilities in digital talent acquisition. The acquisition bolsters the group’s growing portfolio, adding Venturi’s tech expertise to a business that already includes global talent from Morgan [...]
Starmer seeks UK-EU ‘reset’ – is another Brexit row looming? May 16, 2025 Ongoing talks between the UK and the EU will come to a head at a summit in London on Monday, as the government seeks a post-Brexit “reset” of relations. The talks have come about as part of a routine five year review of the UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement, though they have taken on new [...]
Is Labour’s Planning Bill putting private equity at risk? May 16, 2025 It’s not just conservationists who are up in arms about the watering down of environmental protections in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the private markets are concerned too, says Robert Oates There’s an irony at the heart of the UK government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill: in its rush to accelerate the development of 1.5m new [...]
Starmer’s immigration plans dealt surprise blow by Albania May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer’s plans to “take back control” of immigration rules in the UK were dealt a fresh blow after Albania’s prime minister ruled out hosting failed asylum seekers, a proposal widely seen as acting as a deterrent to illegal migration. In a visit to the capital city Tirana, Starmer was told by Albania’s Edi Rama [...]