Jim Ratcliffe Backs Tory Pledge to Slash Net Zero Tax
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire behind Ineos, has joined other manufacturing chiefs in endorsing the Conservative Party’s pledge to scrap the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a carbon‑tax mechanism that forces high‑carbon energy to cost more than renewables. The party claims the move will save refineries and other heavy‑industry firms millions of pounds, but critics note the Treasury would forfeit roughly £3.1 billion (about $3.9 billion) in revenue by 2030. Companies such as ExxonMobil’s Fawley complex currently pay up to £80 million a year (≈$102 million) in ETS fees. Labour argues the loss of this income could jeopardise fiscal headroom for other priorities.
UK Robotics Firm Auditor Raises Evidence Concerns as Losses Widen
Dexory, a UK robotics firm, posted revenue of £3.15 million ($4.0 million) for the year to March 2025, up from £615,797 the prior year, while pre‑tax losses widened to £22.5 million ($28.8 million). Auditors issued a qualification, saying they could not obtain sufficient evidence on...
Sport Data Giant Sportradar Slapped with Lawsuits in UK and US
Sport data leader Sportradar, valued at $5 bn, is confronting lawsuits in both London’s High Court and the U.S. District Court of New Jersey. The claims, filed by betting‑software firm Altenar, accuse Sportradar of illegally blocking IMG’s renewal of a betting‑data contract,...
Why the AI Boom Can’t Be Compared to the Dotcom Bubble
Redpoint Ventures’ 2026 market update argues the current AI boom differs fundamentally from the dot‑com bubble. AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic now generate over $20 bn in annual recurring revenue, and more than 90% of new data‑center capacity is pre‑committed,...
Cardiff City Fails in £100m Claim Against Nantes over Emiliano Sala Death
Cardiff City’s attempt to recover over $132 million in compensation from French club Nantes for the 2019 death of striker Emiliano Sala was rejected by a Nantes commercial court. The judge dismissed the claim and ordered Cardiff to cover approximately $508,000...
Sanctioned Russian Oligarch’s Charity Launches Legal Action Against Barclays
The UK‑registered Potanin Foundation, linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin, has initiated legal proceedings against Barclays Bank in the London Circuit Commercial Court. The charity, now overseen by interim manager Guy Hollander of Forvis Mazars, holds investment assets exceeding £60 million (about...
White Van Men ‘Bleeding Cash’ in Iran War Diesel Chaos
Diesel prices in the UK have risen to 179.9p per litre (about $2.25), up more than 35p since the Iran‑Israel conflict began, creating the widest diesel‑petrol price gap in decades. The RAC reports that over 4.6 million vans – the backbone...
Kemi Badenoch to Call for Oil Drilling to Be Maximised
UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is launching a "get Britain drilling" campaign that proposes ending the moratorium on new oil and gas licences, scrapping the windfall tax on energy profits, and boosting financial support for the fossil‑fuel sector. She argues...
Social Media Bosses Not Serious About Safety, Says MP
A US jury awarded $6 million to a plaintiff who claimed lifelong social‑media addiction, holding Meta and Google liable. Both tech giants intend to appeal the verdict, which underscores the legal risks of engagement‑driven design. Former Meta AI ethics employee Josh...
Henry Pollock: England Rugby Star Joins Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency
Matchroom Sports has entered rugby by signing England forward Henry Pollock to its newly created Matchroom Talent Agency, joining UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall as the first dual‑sport signings. The 21‑year‑old, who became the youngest British and Irish Lion last summer,...
Tesco Beats Clubcard Copycats to Claim Loyalty Scheme Crown
Tesco’s Clubcard has been crowned the UK’s most valued loyalty scheme, scoring 8.38 out of 10 in HyperFinity’s index that surveyed over 50 retailers. The programme’s appeal stems from its straightforward discounts, including a 40 p (≈ $0.50) meal‑deal cut, and strong...
Lloyds Bank Forks Out Compensation After Tech Glitch Hit Nearly Half a Million
Lloyds Banking Group disclosed that a technical failure in its mobile app on March 12 exposed transaction data for nearly half a million customers across Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland. About 447,936 users saw rogue transactions, and 114,000 inadvertently...
The Big Problem with UK Investment Trusts
UK investment trusts, a £250bn (≈$317bn) market, face chronic discounts of 20‑40% to net asset value, eroding investor confidence. The article attributes the discount to entrenched external managers and fee structures that reward assets under management rather than performance. Ben...
Whisky Investment in 2026: Structure, New Markets and Scarcity
Whisky investment has shed its pandemic‑era hype and is now recognised as a disciplined alternative asset class alongside art and fine wine. Tariff reductions in India—down to 40% by 2026—combined with growing affluence in Asia are expanding demand for premium...
Ministers Must ‘Trade More’ in Face of Iran War
British Chambers of Commerce chief Shevaun Haviland will urge UK ministers to keep an energy‑bailout option on the table as the Iran‑Israel conflict drives oil prices higher, warning that disrupted shipping lanes will lift business energy costs. She stresses calm,...
The Country Hotel 45 Minutes From London That’s Perfect for Spring
Coworth Park, a Dorchester Collection country estate near Ascot, offers a luxury countryside retreat just 45 minutes from London. The 240‑acre property features 70 upscale rooms, the UK’s only hotel with its own polo fields, and a carbon‑negative spa with...
Starmer Admits Defence Upgrade Doesn’t Have Enough Funding
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told MPs the government’s defence upgrade plan lacks sufficient funding, admitting an extra £40bn (about $50bn) is required to meet the NATO‑mandated 3.5% of GDP target by 2035. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates an...
Championing Inclusion in the City: A Conversation with Debbie Crosbie
Debbie Crosbie, Group CEO of Nationwide and Women in Finance Champion, discussed her career and the ongoing push for gender parity in UK financial services. She highlighted that women occupy only 18.6% of senior leadership roles, while over 400 firms...
Ligue 1+: French Football League Losing Hundreds of Millions to Piracy
French football officials report that 59% of fans watched Ligue 1 matches via illegal streams this season, costing the league’s Ligue 1+ platform and partner BeIN Sports hundreds of millions of euros. The loss follows the collapse of the LFP’s...
On This Day : The Birth of ‘Mr Five Per Cent’ Calouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Gulbenkian, born in 1869 in Ottoman Constantinople to an Armenian merchant family, became a pioneering oil financier after studying engineering in London. He helped merge Shell’s transport arm with Royal Dutch Petroleum in 1907 and, in 1912, engineered the...
Iceland Boss Calls for Profit Cap on Energy Firms as Prices Surge
Iceland boss Richard Walker, now a Labour peer, urged the UK government to impose a temporary profit cap on energy producers and retailers amid soaring oil and gas prices triggered by Middle East tensions. He argues existing windfall taxes are...
Sunak Urges Rethink on Taxing Jobs as AI Begins to Reshape Hiring
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls for a rethink of how work is taxed as AI reshapes hiring patterns. He warns that employer National Insurance Contributions tax labour while AI incurs no comparable levy, creating a fiscal imbalance. Data shows...
The UK Is Being “Dragged Into” Iran War Says Badenoch
Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch warned that the United Kingdom is being "dragged into" a potential Iran‑US war after Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the joint UK‑US base on Diego Garcia. The attack, which saw one missile fail to launch...
Fortress Prepares to Offload Majestic Wine
Fortress Investment Group is preparing to sell Majestic Wine, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, which it acquired in 2019 for £95 million. Rothschild will manage the sales process, with a formal auction expected early next year and no price guidance...
Luke Littler Face Trademark Is ‘Smart Move’ but ‘Not Silver Bullet’, Say Experts
Darts prodigy Luke Littler, now 19, has applied to trademark his facial likeness with the UK Intellectual Property Office to shield his £20 million endorsement portfolio from AI‑generated deepfakes. IP lawyers praise the proactive step as an expansion of traditional name...
UK Economy in Peril as Growth Forecast Slashed in Half
Oxford Economics slashed its UK GDP growth forecast to 0.4% from 0.9%, half the OBR’s estimate. The downgrade reflects rising oil and gas prices after the Iran‑Israel conflict, which keep interest rates high and increase business costs. Analysts warn that...
UK Job Market Softens as Economy Set to Worsen
UK employment data show a softening labour market, with payroll jobs falling by 49,000 in February and vacancies slipping to 721,000, the lowest level in recent months. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.2% despite the job losses. Wage growth...
Claudia Winkleman’s New Chat Show Is Here… So What Happened to the Great British Talk Show?
The BBC debuted The Claudia Winkleman Show, a celebrity chat program, after Winkleman announced her exit from Strictly Come Dancing. The first episode featured Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Saunders, Vanessa Williams and Tom Allen, delivering a pleasant but conventional interview style....
AI Will Not Replace Auditors’ Judgment, Says Regulator Chief
Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the UK Financial Reporting Council, told City AM that artificial intelligence will not replace auditors’ core judgment, professional scepticism and challenge of management. He warned that regulators must focus on the people deploying AI rather than...
Sun, Money and Missiles: The Dilemma Facing British Lawyers in the UAE
The United Arab Emirates hosts roughly 500‑700 UK‑qualified solicitors attracted by tax‑free income and booming financial‑services projects. Recent Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed eight people and sparked safety alerts, prompting many expats to consider leaving. Legal recruiters report...
City AM’s Magazine Editor Steve Dinneen Wins Features Writer of the Year
City AM magazine editor Steve Dinneen was named Features Writer of the Year at the Regional Press Awards, outpacing competitors such as LondonCentric and the Manchester Evening News. The judges praised his lively, imaginative style, citing three diverse pieces on...
‘What Do They Have to Hide?’ Ministers Must Not Scrap Regulatory Watchdog
The article warns that the UK government is considering scrapping the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), the independent body that quantifies the economic cost of new regulations. A recent Federation of Small Businesses survey shows small firms waste 379 million hours a...
Close Brothers Shares Sink as Infamous Short-Seller Warns of Motor Finance ‘Wipeout’
Close Brothers' shares fell up to 12% after short‑seller Viceroy Research accused the FTSE 250 bank of systematically misrepresenting its exposure to the FCA’s motor‑finance redress scheme. Viceroy warned that provisions may need to double, potentially eroding the bank’s CET1...
Bank of England: We Can’t Eliminate Bias in AI
Bank of England compliance chief Jem Davis warned that artificial‑intelligence systems will never be completely bias‑free, urging firms to adopt a bias‑aware approach. He highlighted the need for robust governance, diverse data testing and continuous monitoring across organisational units. At...
Tyson v Bruno: How UK’s First Pay-per-View Fight Shaped Next 30 Years
In March 1996 Sky broadcast the Tyson‑Bruno rematch as the United Kingdom’s first domestic pay‑per‑view (PPV) boxing event. The fight, aired from Las Vegas, required new call‑centre logistics and proved that fans would pay a premium for marquee live sport....
Sheffield Wednesday: Football Regulator Already in Talks over New Club Owners
The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will take over vetting of English club owners and directors from May, prompting clubs to flag any ongoing takeover discussions by the end of the week. Sheffield Wednesday’s preferred bidder, US‑based Arise Capital Partners, is...
Labour Told to Scrap ‘Arbitrary’ Inheritance Tax System
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) released a report urging the UK government to scrap its 40% inheritance tax, which applies to estates above £325,000 (or £500,000 when a home is passed to children). The tax costs the Treasury roughly...
Interest Rates Hold ‘Almost Certain’ as Trump Rules Out Deal with Iran
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee is expected to keep the base rate unchanged at 3.75% as the Middle‑East war fuels higher energy prices and fresh inflation risks. Economists had pencilled in a rate cut after January’s inflation dip...
Business Bosses Told to Check Details After Companies House Glitch
A technical fault in the UK Companies House web‑filing platform on Friday let users navigate back and edit or view other firms' records, exposing personal details of directors for up to five million companies. The glitch prompted an immediate suspension...
Why World Cup Hydration Breaks Will Push Traditional Ads to the Subs Bench
The 2026 World Cup will feature mid‑half hydration breaks to protect players from extreme heat, and broadcasters like ITV are planning to sell ad space during these pauses. Rather than traditional commercial slots, the network is testing split‑screen and picture‑in‑picture...
Thames Water Creditors Offer ‘Best and Final’ Rescue Funding Deal
Thames Water’s creditor consortium, London & Valley Water, has presented Ofwat with a "best and final" rescue package to avert a special administration regime. The deal adds roughly £3.4 billion of equity and £3.3 billion of new debt, while writing off about...
Labour to Give Firms Cash in Bid to Undo Benefits Rise
The Labour government will introduce a £3,000 subsidy for firms that hire young people who have not received Universal Credit for more than six months, aiming to reduce the growing NEET population. The initiative is part of a broader package...
Arsenal: Leading the Digital Charge as Well as the Premier League
Arsenal is pioneering a digital transformation that links ticketing, merchandise and original content into a single owned platform, aiming to deepen fan immersion. Leveraging data from Snapchat—where 67% of users connect through sport and 57% watch games live—the club is...
WATCH: From Phone Business to Coffee Giant – How Grind Carved Out a Niche
Grind, a South London coffee brand, evolved from a family mobile‑phone shop into a multi‑channel specialty coffee business. After a government‑ordered shutdown forced the founder to start from zero, the company rebuilt with a flagship Shoreditch café and expanded into...
Richmond Council to Consider Lime’s Future in Contract Vote
Richmond council will vote next week on whether to replace Lime with Forest as the borough’s sole dockless e‑bike operator. Lime logged more than 1.5 million trips in 2025, operating a fleet of about 500 bikes. Officials recommend Forest based on...
Hospitality Sector Braces for ‘Devastating’ Tube Strikes
London’s hospitality sector is bracing for a series of RMT‑led tube strikes that will hit 12 days between March and May, threatening severe disruption during a critical trading period. Access Hospitality warns that previous strikes slashed bookings by up to...
Robert Walters Ditches Dividend After Swinging to Loss
Robert Walters reported a 12% revenue decline to £781.1 m for FY 2025 and swung to an operating loss of £14.9 m after a £5.2 m profit the prior year. The firm cut headcount by 15%, incurred £4.4 m in redundancy costs and reduced net...
Oil Crisis: The Answer Isn’t Panic, It’s Power
Rising oil prices expose Britain’s dependence on volatile international energy markets. Although the UK boasts world‑class offshore wind, onshore wind and solar resources, the electricity grid is failing to connect new renewable projects, causing years‑long delays. The article argues that...
Dubai’s Economic Dynamism Will Help It Withstand Iran Conflict
Dubai’s economy has shifted from oil reliance to a diversified, high‑growth hub, posting 3.6% GDP growth in 2023 and 4% in 2024. The UAE’s free‑zone model, tax competitiveness and regulatory certainty have attracted global firms and AI‑focused investors such as...
Sportl: The Pay-as-You-Go Gym App Sprinting Into the Capital
Former Bank of England staff Matthew Austin and Ryan Lovelock have launched Sportl, a pay‑as‑you‑go gym‑booking app that lets users reserve classes without a subscription. The startup closed a £250,000 pre‑seed round backed by industry veterans and appointed fitness influencer...
