Mishcon de Reya hikes junior lawyer salaries to £110,000 July 23, 2026 Top City law firm Mishcon de Reya has upped its salaries to £110,000 for its incoming cohort of junior lawyers as the pay war continues to intensify. The firm, known for its high-profile disputes, has upped its newly-qualified salaries by 10 per cent, effective from September, while also increasing the salaries of first-year trainees to [...]
The Rest Is… for the Treasury: Gary Lineker backs wealth tax for rich July 23, 2026 Gary Lineker has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce a wealth tax on himself and other millionaires. The former England football player, synonymous with crisps, is one of over 100 millionaires to sign an open letter to No 10 calling for a 2 per cent tax hike on people with assets worth at least [...]
‘Ever-widening gap’: Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin urges Burnham to cut more pub taxes July 23, 2026 JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has called on the Prime Minister to go further to reduce the soaring tax burden faced by pubs. The chairman of the UK’s best-known pub chain said Burnham’s decision to slash business rates for pubs is an “implicit recognition that the hospitality sector is over taxed”. The Prime Minister announced [...]
Roasting heat putting Brits off roasts, warns Toby Carvery owner July 23, 2026 The sweltering summer heat has put Brits off their roasts, one of the UK’s biggest pub companies has warned, after the country set a fresh June temperature record. The owner of Toby Carvery, which offers year-round roast dinners and has more than 100 sites across the country, reported a 2.4 per cent drop in food [...]
BT braces for loss of 800,000 customers as it banks on fibre to keep turnaround ‘on track’ July 23, 2026 BT stuck to its cash targets despite another quarter of flat sales and falling profit, as the telecoms giant pointed to growing demand for its fibre network. The FTSE 100 firm held guidance for around £2bn of free cash flow this year after revenue edged little changed to £4.3bn in the first quarter. Pre-tax profit [...]
Tax bill and Middle East weigh on Heathrow despite record numbers July 23, 2026 Heathrow’s tax bill has more than doubled in the first half of this year, weighing on profit at the airport despite it bucking the Middle East conflict to enjoy record passenger numbers. The west London hub faced a £129m bill to HMRC in the six months to July, according to its latest update, up from [...]
Easyjet takes £200m profit hit in Iran war travel chaos July 23, 2026 Easyjet has revealed a £200m profit hit as the budget airline battles with the soaring energy costs and falling travel demand caused by the Iran war. The FTSE 250 carrier posted an £85m profit in the three months to June, down 70 per cent on £286m in the previous year, as passenger volume slipped by [...]
Burnham to cut pub business rates by 20 per cent July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham has unveiled a 20 per cent cut to business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues. The £100m commitment will be funded by cracking down on businesses, like vape shops and tax-avoidant online sellers, which “do not make a positive contribution to local communities,” the government said. The measure comes as part of [...]
Commonwealth Games must prove crises are thing of past July 23, 2026 There is no evidence of Commonwealth Games fever in downtown St Peter Port. Guernsey, an island of 65,000 people, is sending 22 athletes to Glasgow 2026, down from 38 to Birmingham 2022. Colleagues on the island report far less public interest than four years ago. There you have these slimmed-down Games which start today in [...]
As it happened: Stocks slip as oil hits $100 following Houthi attacks on tankers July 23, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire FTSE 100 liveblog. Stocks slipped on Thursday morning as oil surged back to $100 per barrel for the first time since May. Brent crude barrelled up after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea. The US last night launched its [...]