Cabinet reshuffle: Lucy Rigby replaces Emma Reynolds as City minister September 6, 2025 Former solicitor general Lucy Rigby has been made Economic Secretary to the Treasury, a role often called the City minister, in the latest development in Starmer’s reshuffle. Rigby replaces Emma Reynolds, a former City lobbyist who had held the role since last July but who has now become environment secretary. In a post on X, Rigby said she was [...]
Nigel Farage: Labour government will collapse in 2027 September 5, 2025 Nigel Farage has set his sights on a General Election in 2027 due to the collapse of the Labour government as he geared up electoral planning at Reform’s party conference. Moving his speech forward three hours to deliver his response to Angela Rayner’s resignation as deputy prime minister, Farage said the government was “deep in [...]
Private equity deals bounce back after sluggish start to the year September 5, 2025 UK private equity deals bounced back in the later stage of the first half of 2025, as investors became increasingly optimistic about growth opportunities. The total deal value for UK private equity deals dropped 5.3 per cent to £55.7bn, broadly mirroring the rest of Europe, according to new analysis from financial data platform PitchBook. However, [...]
Savers race to withdraw pension lump sums over tax concerns September 5, 2025 UK pension savers rushed to withdraw their tax free cash over the past financial year, as they braced themselves for possible changes to tax rules on retirement funds. The amount withdrawn from UK pensions in tax-free lump sums rose more than 60 per cent in the 2024/25 financial year to £18.1bn, up from £11.25bn the [...]
Angela Rayner resigns September 5, 2025 Angela Rayner has resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party after being found in breach of the ministerial code. This comes as an inquiry led by ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus, after the now-former deputy prime minister admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her second home in Hove. [...]
London Stock Exchange boss: Fix underinvestment for growth September 5, 2025 The boss of the London Stock Exchange has urged the government to fix investment in capital markets to achieve economic growth. Dame Julia Hoggett, the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, has backed the new ‘Tell Sid’-style campaign announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves this year in a bid to get Brits investing. Hoggett told [...]
Ashmore: Preparing for emerging market growth September 5, 2025 Emerging markets specialist Ashmore reported a decline in total adjusted net revenue of 22 per cent to £146.5m in its latest fiscal period. Net management fee income declined 19 per cent to $129.7m, (£95m) causing a margin drop to 35 basis points from the 39 recorded last year. AUM stood at $47.6bn, a 3 per [...]
M&A activity declines as investors opt for high-value deals September 5, 2025 UK merger and acquisition (M&A) activity declined in the first half of the year, as investors sought strategic deals amid market volatility. The total deal value of UK M&A declined 12.3 per cent from £65.3bn to £57.3bn according to a report from professional services group PwC. Deal volume also softened with just 1,478 transactions in the [...]
Young men more likely to use AI to guide investment decisions September 4, 2025 Young men are more likely to use AI to guide their financial decisions compared to older generations and women. Men aged 18-34 are also increasingly likely to turn to AI for financial advice, than older generations, according to wealth management company Handelsbanken. Around a quarter of respondents who used AI admitted it was an alternative [...]
HMRC names barrister in tax avoidance list for first time September 4, 2025 In an unprecedented move, HMRC has added a practising barrister, identified as the ‘designer’ of a tax avoidance scheme, to its list of tax avoidance promoters. Tax barrister Setu Kamal, with 20 years of experience, stands accused of designing four tax avoidance schemes and producing the contract templates crucial to their operation. Those schemes were [...]