Private equity firms eye valuation gap as City falls to takeovers July 20, 2026 The London Stock Exchange has seen a sharp uptick in takeover premiums this year as a deals spree from led by private equity firms and foreign buyers accelerates. The average price paid by acquirers relative to companies’ share prices has hit 45 per cent, according to data from AJ Bell. Foreign buyers account for 86 [...]
Ask the expert: Will paying for my daughter’s wedding reduce my IHT bill? July 20, 2026 Fidelity personal financial specialist Marianna Hunt is back on hand to answer your burning questions, and today a reader wants to know if paying for their daughter’s big day could reduce their IHT bill. Q: My daughter is getting married. I understand that if my wife and I transferred her £15,000 for the costs of [...]
Coya Ibiza is bringing grown-up hedonism to Playa d’en Bossa July 20, 2026 You may know Coya for its London restaurants, but the group is exploring new shores in Ibiza with its first ever rooms. Anna Moloney checks in.
Victory wasted: The cautionary tale of Keir Starmer July 20, 2026 Keir Starmer sold himself as a non-politician, and proved again and again why political skills matter, writes Eliot Wilson.
The 2026 World Cup had its flaws, yes, but it was a resounding success for Fifa July 20, 2026 In the coming days following last night’s World Cup final, Fifa will release a report on how many people watched the tournament across its five and a half weeks. Look out for the social media KPIs – impressions, engagement, video views – that major sporting bodies now have to report, but the headline number will [...]
Iran war woes cause jump in London-listed profit warnings July 20, 2026 The rising energy costs and fragile consumer confidence caused by the Iran war have driven a jump in the number of profit warnings issued by London-listed firms. UK-listed companies issued 59 profit warnings in the first half of this year, up from 55 last year, with more than half of these being blamed on policy [...]
Thames Water creditors open door to public control under Burnham July 19, 2026 The creditors seeking to gain control of Thames Water have opened the door to greater public control of the struggling utility in a bid to bring Andy Burnham’s team to the negotiating table. Mike McTighe, the turnaround specialist who has been working with the group on an overhaul of Thames Water’s board, has called on [...]
Global Citizen’s links to Fifa chief Motsepe and the first ever World Cup half-time show July 19, 2026 If you haven’t heard of Global Citizen before, that may be about to change due to the charity’s role in the first ever half-time show during a World Cup final on Sunday. The show, curated by Coldplay frontman and longtime Global Citizen supporter Chris Martin, will feature performances from some of the biggest stars in [...]
Temporary inflation slowdown set to boost Burnham July 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to have eased last month in a welcome but temporary boost for Andy Burnham’s incoming government. The headline rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is tipped to have eased from 2.8 per cent in May to 2.6 per cent in June, according to some economists. The latest rate of inflation will [...]
Burnham scraps digital ID scheme July 19, 2026 Andy Burnham will scrap Labour’s digital ID scheme when he becomes Prime Minister, as part of a “reset of priorities” over the cost of living crisis. The incoming Prime Minister said on Saturday that he would ditch the programme, set out only months ago by Sir Keir Starmer, and spend the money saved on “improving [...]