Blockbuster FTSE merger abandoned after shareholder fury December 1, 2025 A plan to merge two FTSE-listed funds to form the UK’s largest infrastructure investment firm has been abandoned after shareholders expressed frustration with the terms of the deal. HICL Infrastructure said it will no longer be proceeding with its planned merger with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) after its board “determined that it cannot progress [...]
Lady Mayor: Higher taxes will discourage investors at critical time December 1, 2025 Higher taxes on dividends, pension contributions and savings risk discouraging investors exactly when we need them, writes Susan Langley.
Paddington musical review: the bear’s a bit clunky, but the show is warm and fuzzy November 30, 2025 Paddington musical review and star rating: ★★★★ It feels like a fairly strange point in history when The Guardian “exclusively reveal” Paddington bear, transplanted from Michael Bond’s novels to the Savoy Theatre. Such has been the enormous hype around this musical, which has been shrouded in secrecy for seven years during production but has finally [...]
Byron burger chain rescued by Gen Z investor November 30, 2025 The struggling high end burger chain Byron has been saved from a third collapse by a Gen Z entrepreneur, who has snapped up the troubled business for £2.5m. First reported in The Times, the business has been bought by Niyamo Capital, founded by the Indian born investor Akshat Tibrewala, securing the future of the brand [...]
Chancellor Rachel Reeves denies misleading public over finances before Budget November 30, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denied misleading the public over UK finances before the Budget, stating she “was very upfront” about the need to find more money, despite not mentioning £4.2bn surplus. The Chancellor has found herself in the firing line since Wednesday’s crunch Budget, as she faces increasing questions from opposition figures over claims she [...]
Asda boss bashes Budget as sales continue to drop November 28, 2025 Asda boss Allen Leighton has hit out at the Autumn Budget as anti-growth and anti-investment as sales as the supermarket giant stumbled due to an IT handover. The executive chairman said Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget “didn’t do anything for anybody” and that “there’s nothing the government is doing that is stimulating growth”. Speaking to City AM [...]
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at Soho Place review: John Le Carré thriller grips on stage November 28, 2025 The Spy Who Came in From the Cold review and star rating: ★★★★ At the interval of David Eldridge’s adaptation of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, my friend and I placed bets on how we thought the play would end. We were both wrong. I’m sure many people who go to watch [...]
J-Mac the chosen Rider for Ng’s Sagacious Life November 28, 2025 SHA TIN’s scheduled race-meeting on Sunday will be held behind closed doors, as a mark of respect following the tragic events at nearby Tai Po in midweek. The HKJC will donate an estimated gross income of around £7m for the day to those effected by the tragedy, and only stewards’ officials and connections of horses [...]
Salary sacrifice cap will hit ordinary earners hardest, research finds November 28, 2025 Reeves’ crunch Budget measures ranged from freezing income tax thresholds to fresh levies on milkshakes and lattes as she sought to lower the UK’s fiscal headroom. But it was her decision to rip up the salary sacrifice scheme that sparked the largest reaction from employers and employees alike. Under the most popular form of salary [...]
Covid inquiry is a reminder that freedom matters as well as saving lives November 28, 2025 The Covid inquiry continues labouring under the lopsided assumption that the only thing that matters in a pandemic is the number of deaths prevented. There was always an alternative to lockdowns, says Charles Amos Recently the Covid inquiry has stated the government acted too little and too late in introducing lockdown in March 2020 with [...]