Natwest hikes targets again after jump in profit July 31, 2026 Natwest has upgraded its income targets for a second quarter running as the bank posted better than expected profit and dished out a bumper dividend to investors. The blue-chip lender reported a 20 per cent jump in pre-tax profit in the first six months of 2026 to £4.3bn, up from £3.6bn the year prior and [...]
As it happened: Stocks reach new record as investors shrug off Iran war fears July 31, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. It’s Friday morning and the FTSE 100 has opened into the green, following two consecutive days of record gains for the blue-chip index. London’s blue-chip index was up as high as 0.7 per cent in early trading to 10,971.88p, “The FTSE 100 tested new record highs on Friday morning as [...]
Fifa want to sell the family silver but should World Rugby do the same? July 31, 2026 Selling stakes in commercial entities is like selling the family silver. So should World Rugby copy Fifa? Selling stakes in commercial entities – much like Fifa announced it wanted to do with the World Cup – is like selling the family silver. Global tournaments are pillars of sports with revenues and reach that soar during [...]
Burnham accused of imposing ‘top–down’ devolution July 30, 2026 Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda has been slammed over its “top down” approach after the Prime Minister unveiled new plans to share income tax revenue with local leaders. Burnham, himself a former Manchester mayor, said regional leaders in England will begin receiving a “greater share of locally generated revenues” next spring as part of his push [...]
Uefa to boycott World Cup over Infantino’s Fifa sell-off following unanimous vote July 30, 2026 All European nations have vowed to boycott the World Cup if Fifa proceeds with plans to sell off stakes in a new commercial vehicle following a Uefa crisis summit. England’s Football Association and the other 54 members of European governing body Uefa held emergency talks today to discuss their response to Fifa’s proposal. All Uefa [...]
Gino D’Acampo restaurants face HMRC winding-up order July 30, 2026 The company behind TV chef Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant empire has been hit with a winding-up petition by the UK tax authority. Upmarket Hotels & Leisure, which runs five British restaurants named after the former This Morning star, was served the petition by HMRC after a filing made to the High Court, as seen by City [...]
High interest rates and low confidence put construction firms under pressure, Lords warns July 30, 2026 Construction firms have been hit by a barrage of reduced market confidence, high interest rates and rising national insurance costs, builders’ merchant Lords has warned, after it suffered its biggest-ever single-day stock fall. The London-based firm released a challenging market update on Thursday, which saw its shares plunge 20.61 per cent to an all-time low [...]
Premier League agree EFL funding deal which could be worth £1.5bn July 30, 2026 Premier League clubs have agreed for a new funding proposal to be put to the EFL, which could be worth £1.5bn. The agreement was decided upon on Thursday and was unanimous, with the Premier League stating that the deal is “long-term”, according to PA. Sky Sports previously said the deal will cover the next decade. [...]
‘It’s going to impact work’: Lloyds to cut £2bn in costs with AI July 30, 2026 The boss of Lloyds Banking Group is preparing to wield the axe on its cost base as the bank doubles down on AI ambitions. Charlie Nunn, the chief executive of the financial services giant, said AI is “going to impact work” and “require us to reskill people and hire new people” as he revealed a [...]
AI data centres and defence tech lead investment wave July 30, 2026 Data centres, energy, and military technologies are the main investment channels tech buyers want to pour money into, according to new research. Law firm A&O Shearman’s latest outlook for technology investment said demand was growing for the infrastructure needed to build and run AI, while software companies faced greater scrutiny over whether AI could replace [...]