Fifa World Cup brand value trebles to £4bn thanks to sponsorship and media rights June 24, 2026 The Fifa World Cup brand has grown in value to over $5bn after more than trebling in value in recent years, according to a new industry report. Consultancy Brand Finance estimates the World Cup brand is now worth $5.2bn (£4bn) – a 244 per cent increase on its value when the 2010 tournament was held [...]
Starmer defends ‘treacherous’ Reeves and Miliband despite Badenoch jibes June 24, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer jumped to the defence of senior Cabinet ministers Ed Miliband and Rachel Reeves despite brutal attacks by the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. In one of his last Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer defiantly stood by the Chancellor, who sat on the front bench alongside him, and praised her for “breaking from austerity” and [...]
Pigment boss: ‘We’re replacing legacy players at the speed of light’ June 24, 2026 Eléonore Crespo, co-founder and chief executive of Pigment, said the company is replacing legacy enterprise software providers “at the speed of light”, as demand for AI-native business planning accelerates across the private sector. The Paris-headquartered platform, which helps companies including Unilever, Siemens, Anthropic and Coca-Cola run financial planning and performance management, is approaching $100m (£75m) [...]
Burnham’s new chief of staff ran City firm advising Thames Water and rival Heathrow bidder June 24, 2026 Andy Burnham’s likely chief of staff will move to Downing Street from a lobbying firm that counts Thames Water and the rival bidder for Heathrow’s third runway as clients, just as ministers mull decisions that could decide both organisations’ fate. James Purnell is widely tipped to become Burnham’s most senior right-hand man should the Makerfield [...]
England draw with Ghana worth £20m extra to British pubs June 24, 2026 England’s lacklustre 0-0 draw against Ghana may have lacked fizz but hospitality industry experts estimate it was worth an extra £20m in trade for Britain’s pubs. Thomas Tuchel’s men were held to a goalless 90 minutes in Boston on Tuesday but the late kick-off and blistering weather proved a boon to boozers up and down [...]
HSBC bags £135m from former Silicon Valley Bank as job cuts push up restructuring bill June 24, 2026 The rescued UK wing of Silicon Valley Bank has paid another bumper dividend to HSBC as it racked up costs amid a sweeping restructure. HSBC Innovation Banking – the branding bestowed on the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank UK (SVBUK) – was taken over by Europe’s largest lender in March 2023 as ministers, regulators and banking [...]
The Debate: Should the resignation of the Prime Minister trigger a general election? June 24, 2026 As prime ministerial resignations have accelerated, so too have calls for consequent snap elections. We explore the pros and cons.
B&M poaches Asda exec in bid to shake off accounting blunder June 24, 2026 B&M has poached an Asda executive to replace the chief financial officer who quit over a £7m accounting blunder, as the retailer eyes a drastic turnaround. The FTSE 250 firm said on Wednesday that Atheeq Akbar, currently vice president of commercial finance at Asda, will join the firm as chief financial officer next year. B&M’s [...]
Treasury confirms scrapping of Lifetime ISA but industry questions remain June 24, 2026 The government has confirmed it is replacing the hotly debated Lifetime ISA with a new product aimed solely at first time buyers, but industry figures are questioning the new framework. In a consultation published on Tuesday, the government confirmed the new product, dubbed the ‘First Time Buyer ISA’, (FTB ISA) will only be available to [...]
Burnham coronation closer yet Starmer ally raises alarm on borrowing June 24, 2026 Andy Burnham’s path to Downing Street has been all but cleared after Darren Jones ruled out entering a leadership race, spilling over to further speculation over the look of the next government’s Cabinet. Jones, a close ally of Sir Keir Starmer, was rumoured as a potential challenger to Burnham but the chief secretary to the [...]