Burnham risks £4bn bill in Thames Water special administration July 19, 2026 Andy Burnham’s plans to push Thames Water into special administration could leave the taxpayer to foot a £4bn bill. The incoming Prime Minister is facing a crunch decision over how to deal with the struggling utility and is expected to use a special administration regime (SAR) to keep it running until a buyer is found. [...]
World Cup final half-time show has been coming, but Fifa must be careful July 19, 2026 For a very long time, the World Cup final has needed no additional entertainment. The match was the spectacle. The players, the history and the occasion were enough. That is why Fifa’s decision to stage the first World Cup final half-time show has made me and plenty of others feel a bit uncomfortable. Madonna, Shakira, [...]
Questions raised over FCA’s new short-selling rules July 18, 2026 Apparent errors in the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s first batch of new short-selling data have raised questions over the accuracy of information used by traders and regulators to track bets against UK-listed companies. The Financial Times first reported that the regulator’s new disclosures contained a series of apparent errors, including positions that were changed or [...]
Big Tech faces earnings test after AI spending spree July 18, 2026 Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon will report earnings over the next two weeks as investors look for evidence that years of record spending on AI are beginning to generate stronger revenue growth. The three companies have led the AI investment boom, committing billions of dollars to data centres, chips and software. Their latest results are expected [...]
‘Pro-business’ Burnham eyes Reynolds return to top business job July 18, 2026 Andy Burnham is planning to bring Jonathan Reynolds back as business secretary as the incoming prime minister moves to deliver on his pledge to lead a “pro-business” government. Reynolds, who served as business secretary until last September before becoming chief whip, is expected to return to the department when Burnham unveils his cabinet this week, [...]
Thames Water creditors expect Burnham talks despite legal contigency plans July 18, 2026 The creditors bidding to rescue Thames Water remain confident they will be able to present a revised takeover proposal to Andy Burnham’s government, despite preparing for the possibility ministers reject the deal, a source told Morning Wire. People close to the London & Valley Water (L&VW) consortium said they expected to engage with the new [...]
Octopus tells Burnham to ‘cut bills’ with £189 energy plan July 18, 2026 Octopus Energy has urged incoming prime minister Andy Burnham to overhaul Britain’s electricity market, saying the changes could cut the average household bill by up to £189 a year. The supplier said reforming wholesale electricity pricing would save households around £114 a year, and also called for energy levies to be moved from electricity bills [...]
Did this World Cup have too much of Sir David Beckham? July 18, 2026 Graham McKenna assesses whether David Beckham proves this World Cup had too much celebrity As the curtain starts to fall on another World Cup, a lot of conversation around this year’s tournament hasn’t been about the football itself, but the business surrounding it. The introduction of mandatory hydration breaks sparked plenty of debate, with many [...]
Revealed: KPMG and Deloitte offer bumper redundancy packages to slash headcount July 17, 2026 KPMG and Deloitte are offering UK staff bumper redundancy packages as they look to slash their headcount and trim costs, Morning Wire can reveal. The two accountancy companies, as well as PwC, have all ramped up their payouts to employees after a slowdown in the sector’s traditional ‘attrition model’, in which around 15-20 per cent [...]
Starmer took sport freebies worth tens of thousands of pounds while PM July 17, 2026 Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took sport-related freebies worth tens of thousands of pounds in his two years at Downing Street. Official data declared by the Prime Minister in the register of accepted gifts and hospitality shows the sport-mad leader has enjoyed £33,000 worth of perks since winning a landslide victory for his Labour [...]