Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt buys £42m London mansion April 8, 2025 Former Google chief Eric Schmidt has bought a London mansion for £42m in the latest sign that wealthy American buyers are becoming major players in the capital’s property market. According to FT, Schmidt bought the double-fronted, Victoria-era Holland Park mansion last May and plans to rent it out. The deal follows purchases from many other [...]
Microsoft cuts UK jobs as sales near £10bn and profit surges April 8, 2025 Microsoft shed more than 200 UK jobs in the year its turnover jumped to almost £10bn, it has been revealed. The US tech giant reduced its headcount from 5,540 to 5,337 in the year to 30 June, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The reduction comes after Microsoft’s headcount grew from 4,955 in [...]
How will the tariff turmoil affect your mortgage? April 7, 2025 The fallout from President Donald Trump’s decision to impose wide-ranging tariffs on the world has left no stock market unscathed, but it’s possible Brits’ mortgages will benefit from the upset. The decision, which placed a minimum tariff of 10 per cent on all countries (including the UK), and higher tariffs on many more, has increased [...]
International buyers shun top end of the London housing market April 7, 2025 The number of international buyers looking to buy London mansions has fallen to its lowest recorded level as stamp duty increases and broader tax changes weigh on housing demand. The proportion of international applicants – or people registering to buy a home – in Great Britain fell to one per cent of all buyers in [...]
Death of a Unicorn film review: don’t deep this A24 comedy-horror April 4, 2025 Ever since it premiered at SXSW last month, Death Of A Unicorn has been generating buzz. Produced by studio du jour A24, who brought us offbeat classics like Heretic and Everything Everywhere All At Once, it is an interesting prospect. But at a time when riskier stories have struggled to find an audience, is it [...]
Taskmaster makers in the money as profit jumps April 4, 2025 The makers of hit TV shows such as Taskmaster have given themselves a sizeable pay day after profits at the production company continued to rise. The London-headquartered Tiverton 2 group, which owns a range of TV production companies including Avalon Entertainment, issued a dividend of £12m in October last year. That came off the back of [...]
Trump’s tariffs set to drive UK insurance coverage costs up April 4, 2025 After the US slapped several of the world's largest economies with tariffs, the insurance market in the UK prepares for increased costs.
How could the government reform ISAs? April 4, 2025 The Labour government confirmed plans to make changes to the ISA system at its recent Spring Statement, in a bid to promote a culture of retail investment in the UK. City figures have welcomed the prospect of ISA reforms, which appear likely to be introduced at the next fiscal statement in the Autumn. It remains [...]
GP landlord Primary Health Properties makes new offer for peer Assura April 3, 2025 GP landlord Primary Health Properties (PHP) has made a new offer for FTSE 250 healthcare real estate investment trust peer Assura, offering a £1.5bn merger to the REIT. PHP has offered £1.5bn for the trust, which would see Assura’s shareholders owning about 48 per cent of the combined group’s shares, which would become the eighth [...]
Russians eye up London mansions – but what might they come back to? April 2, 2025 The UK government is sitting on around £1.1bn of sanctioned London housing stock from Russians accused of corruption or Kremlin links. Many Russians have withdrawn from new purchases in the capital due to the difficulty of getting a mortgage. There are still Russians who own property, and live, in London, but – and this is [...]