Bank of England holds interest rates but warns of rises to come July 30, 2026 The Bank of England has opted to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent after the UK economy surprised economists with better results for inflation – though policymakers warned that “policy strategy could change” ahead of a difficult second half of the year for price stability. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held interest rates in [...]
Burnham’s plea to City chiefs: let a young person shadow you at work July 30, 2026 Andy Burnham has called on City bosses to let young people shadow them at work as part of a push to tackle the problem of youth unemployment. Speaking to the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast, the prime minister said that there needs to be more work experience and apprenticeships for young people who don’t [...]
Currys hands outgoing boss Alex Baldock £2m pay rise July 30, 2026 FTSE 250 giant Currys has handed its outgoing boss Alex Baldock a more-than-£2 m pay rise, capping off the chief executive’s successful turnaround of the business. The electrical retailer handed Baldock a £6.3m total pay package this year, marking a 54 per cent hike from last year’s £4.1m. Baldock joined Currys in 2018 and is [...]
Meet the 33-year-old British former IPL boss changing Indian basketball July 30, 2026 Ahead of the launch of the Indian Basketball League, Morning Wire sat down with the 33-year-old Brit tasked with taking on cricket and kabaddi Jake Lush McCrum is not your run-of-the-mill sports executive. Despite being just 33, the Brit is nearly a decade into senior leadership in sport. But he hasn’t worked his way up [...]
Adidas shares plunge after hike in World Cup marketing spend July 30, 2026 Adidas shares sank this morning after the sportswear behemoth missed quarterly profit expectations amid a hike in World Cup marketing spend. Shares in the German firm opened more than 15 per cent down after missing second quarter profit expectations. The dent came despite revenues rising 14 per cent to £5.7bn but the firm maintained its [...]
Watchdog probes KPMG over Wood Group audit July 30, 2026 The audit watchdog has opened an investigation into Big Four giant KPMG and two accountants over the accounts belonging to engineering and consulting firm John Wood Group. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) revealed on Thursday that it officially launched two separate regulatory investigations concerning the financial reporting and statutory auditing of the former London-listed group. [...]
Miliband refused to meet motor trade body to discuss zero emissions mandate July 30, 2026 Ed Miliband refused to meet the UK motor industry’s largest trade body during his two-year stint as energy secretary, despite the government’s controversial targets for electric vehicle sales falling partly under his department’s purview. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) boss Mike Hawes said his lobby group’s requests to meet the Labour heavyweight and [...]
BAE Systems raises guidance yet Burnham wavers on defence July 30, 2026 BAE Systems raised its guidance after a series of contract wins yet optimism over spending top-ups may have faded after Prime Minister Andy Burnham refused to commit to lifting expenditure. The aerospace and arms company said profit for the first half of the year amounted to more than £1bn while sales also improved on the [...]
Shell launches bumper buyback after earnings more than double on Middle East turmoil July 30, 2026 Shell has said it will continue its bumper share buyback programme after revealing the Iran war’s effect on oil prices and trading volumes helped it book near-record profit. The Anglo-Dutch giant’s net profit spiked to $9.8bn between April and July, more than double the same period last year and beating analyst estimates. Shares were up [...]
Hammerson boss mad for Manchester as firm snaps up Arndale shopping centre July 30, 2026 Hammerson has snapped up a stake in one of the UK’s biggest shopping centres as the retail real estate firm expands its UK footprint. The FTSE 250 property company has paid £218m to acquire a 50 per cent stake in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre, marking the company’s first major external acquisition in over a [...]