Closed Shop? Not for Long: How New Laws Are Opening Doors for Trade Unions
The Employment Rights Act, introduced last month, revamps UK workers' rights and lowers the union recognition threshold from 10% to as low as 2% of employees, with workplace access rights slated for October. The changes have already spurred a surge in employment‑law work as businesses scramble to adapt to new dismissal protections and upcoming union presence. Seventeen new trade unions have emerged since 2020, especially in gig‑economy and healthcare, and experts predict expansion into traditionally non‑unionised sectors such as professional services. Employers are being urged to strengthen engagement, revise processes, and train managers to navigate the evolving industrial‑relations landscape.
Capita Shares Tumble as Boss Warns of Declining Margins
Capita, one of the UK’s largest outsourcing firms, warned of a small decrease in operating margin and posted a pre‑tax loss of £171 million for 2025. The loss includes a £74 million impairment to its call‑centre business as demand shifts to AI...
Rolls-Royce Shares Slide as FTSE 100 Plunges Amid Iran War
Rolls‑Royce shares slumped up to five per cent at the open, later stabilising at a three‑per‑cent loss, as the Iran‑Israel conflict sparked broader market anxiety. The FTSE 100 fell about 1.5 per cent, driven by concerns over disrupted air routes over Azerbaijan...
Government Borrowing Costs Mount on Fears of Inflation Spike
Government gilt yields spiked on Monday as oil prices surged nearly 30%, reigniting fears of higher inflation and prolonged interest‑rate hikes. The 10‑year gilt rose 14 basis points, while the two‑year jumped over 23 basis points, reflecting market expectations that...
FTSE 100 Live: Inflation Falls to Near Year-Low; BAE Leads Stock Rally
UK inflation eased to a near‑year low, with the CPI falling to 3% year‑on‑year in January 2026, down from 3.4% in December. The slowdown, driven by lower petrol, airfares and food prices, has revived expectations that the Bank of England...
FTSE 100 Live: Heathrow Traffic Record; Homebuilders Call for Help
UK’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.3% after a string of negative corporate news. Energy giant BP announced a suspension of its share buyback programme and heightened cost‑cutting targets to fund oil production, while Standard Chartered saw its finance chief Diego De Giorgi...
Downing Street Resignations Trigger Bond Market Jitters
UK bond markets reacted sharply on Monday after a series of high‑profile Downing Street resignations, with the 10‑year gilt yield climbing to 4.62% – a ten‑basis‑point surge that set a three‑month high. The departures, including communications chief Tim Allan and...
Watchdog Warns on ‘Fire Sale Dynamics’ Risk in Repo Market
The Financial Stability Board warned that leveraged trades in the short‑term repo market could spark fire‑sale dynamics, pressuring sovereign bond prices. It highlighted a $16 trillion global repo market, with hedge‑fund borrowing near $3 trillion—about 25% of their assets—often conducted with zero...
Bank of England Should Hold Interest Rates, City AM Shadow MPC Says
City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, comprising nine independent economists, voted 7‑2 to keep the Bank of England’s base rate at 3.75%, citing persistent inflation and mixed business‑survey signals. Inflation for the year to December remains at 3.4%, above the...
Profit Warnings Citing Global Upheaval Hit ‘Record High’
EY’s latest analysis shows 240 UK‑listed firms issued profit warnings last year, the lowest total since 2021 but the highest proportion citing policy and geopolitical uncertainty. About 42 percent of those warnings named regulatory flip‑flops, tariffs and wage hikes as profit‑dragging...