Roasting heat putting Brits off roasts, warns Toby Carvery owner July 23, 2026 The sweltering summer heat has put Brits off their roasts, one of the UK’s biggest pub companies has warned, after the country set a fresh June temperature record. The owner of Toby Carvery, which offers year-round roast dinners and has more than 100 sites across the country, reported a 2.4 per cent drop in food [...]
Will Burnham take the pressure off business? Don’t bank on it July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham’s big ambitions come with a big price tag. Our analysis shows a £22bn black hole of unfunded commitments, including the costs of honouring decisions announced in the dying days of Keir Starmer’s government, such as NHS pay rises and the Defence Investment Plan. If you add in the new PM’s other great ideas, [...]
Milestone Alphabet century bond already under pressure July 23, 2026 Alphabet’s historic century bond has shed more than seven per cent of its value in just five months, amid a wider downturn in long-dated debt and increased scepticism on the earnings potential of the US’s so-called hyperscalers. The sterling-denominated 100-year bond, which the Google owner will not have to repay until 2126, has sold off [...]
Nearly 1m people to pay higher tax ‘by stealth’ July 22, 2026 Nearly one million people are being dragged into higher tax bands as the government’s “stealth” freezes take effect, according to new analysis. Data crunched by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has shown that fiscal drag – where freezes on tax bands mean workers are forced to pay more into HMRC as wages grow – will impact 1m [...]
Oil prices return to crisis levels July 22, 2026 Oil prices have returned to levels not seen since the beginning of June, after both the US and Iran warned that hopes of a return to peace negotiations were premature. The spot price of Brent crude broke $95 a barrel on Wednesday morning for the first time since the warring parties agreed a 60-day ceasefire [...]
Wetherspoon shares dive as pub chain warns on profit again July 22, 2026 JD Wetherspoon shares slumped after it issued its fourth profit warning this year, as the pub chain grapples with surging food and energy costs and a rising business rates bill. Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the UK’s best-known pub chain, said: “Profits for the year are likely to be below market expectations, with marginally [...]
‘False dawn’: June inflation falls to 2.6 per cent but analysts say rises ahead July 22, 2026 Inflation remained stuck above the Bank of England’s target rate despite government promises to tackle the cost of living. The Office for National Statistics said consumer price index (CPI) inflation was 2.6 per cent in the year to June. Analysts predicted the price growth reading to be 2.7 per cent, lower than the 2.8 per [...]
Manchester was Burnham’s rehearsal – now get ready to pay the bill July 22, 2026 Burnham has asked to be judged on Manchester – where his record is more spending, more borrowing and higher taxes, says Gareth Davies Andy Burnham walks into Downing Street with a simple pitch: judge me on Manchester. I am happy to take him up on it. Start with tax. In 2018, Mr Burnham created a [...]
Tax rises ‘guaranteed’ as Healey faces £22bn black hole from Burnham spending plans July 22, 2026 Chancellor John Healey will be forced to launch another round of major tax rises in the autumn, leading economists have warned, after a City AM analysis found £22bn of spending pledges are not accounted for in official forecasts. Less than 24 hours after becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has already announced plans to end rough [...]
Healey challenges Cabinet to find cuts July 21, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has challenged Cabinet ministers to find savings in budgets hours after Andy Burnham was criticised for making an “unfunded” tax cut. In the first meeting between Cabinet ministers under Burnham’s government, Healey urged ministers to “look harder” at spending priorities across departments. Burnham also urged ministers to consider “how we are going [...]