• UK M&A deals of the week: 7 June 2025

    Consolidation accelerates across telecoms, energy, and infrastructure


  • Tory MP blasts call to cut police budget, suggests reducing net zero and welfare spending instead

    The shadow home secretary has slammed the Labour government amid mounting speculation police budgets are on the chopping block in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spending review. Chris Philp told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg he believes police funding should be protected from cuts following concerns of a shrinking workforce. “I think I’m very concerned that…


  • Rachel Reeves may need to revisit manifesto tax pledges to meet fiscal rules, economists warn

    Rachel Reeves may have to tear up Labour’s manifesto tax commitments to meet her tight fiscal rules, economists have warned, as the Chancellor battles to balance the books amid calls for higher spending on defence and welfare. A suite of new day-to-day spending commitments made by the Treasury in recent weeks, including reversing cuts to…


  • Free thinking: Is Nigel Farage the real Prime Minister?

    With everyone in Westminster dancing to Nigel Farage’s tune, we have to ask: is the Reform UK leader the real prime minister?


  • Aston Villa figure joins LIV Golf league

    Former Aston Villa bigwig Chris Heck has joined LIV Golf as the Saudi Arabia-backed league’s new president of business operations. Heck left Villa this season after a two-year stint that saw the Premier League club reach the Champions League.  It comes as the US Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester snubbed a spot on the Korn…


  • MPs demand answers from Meta on finfluencer complaints

    An influential group of MPs has demanded that Meta outline its track record responding to requests to remove damaging content from finfluencers, after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) named the Facebook and Instagram owner as the sector’s worst offender. Chair of the Treasury Committee Meg Hillier issued a letter to the social media giant earlier…


  • Melrose founders’ Rosebank strikes £1.4bn deal

    Rosebank Industries, the investment vehicle led by Melrose founder Simon Peckham, has struck a £1.4bn deal for a North American electrical components business. The acquisition of Electrical Components International (ECI), the company’s first, will be financed through debt facilities and a £1.14bn capital raise at an issue price of £3 per share. Peckham, a veteran…


  • Labour exploring plans for ‘Britcard’ digital ID to curb illegal migration

    Labour is exploring a new national, universal digital ID card for every adult in the UK to tackle illegal migration. The ID is being tentatively branded as ‘Britcard’, and could be downloaded onto a smartphone in the shape of a “free verifier app”.  Plans for the digital ID were laid out in detail by the…


  • Reform in chaos as Zia Yusuf quits as chair

    The chairman of Reform UK has quit his position, saying working to get the party elected was no longer “a good use of my time”. Zia Yusuf’s decision follows a row in which he described a question to the Prime Minister concerning a ban on burkas from his party’s newest MP as “dumb”. Announcing his…


  • IAG: British Airways owner faces shareholder revolt

    British Airways owner IAG is set to become the latest FTSE 100 company facing a shareholder revolt over pay awards to its top execs. Influential proxy adviser ISS has urged IAG investors to vote against a remuneration policy which includes a one-off share award for CEO Luis Gallego, at the group’s next annual general meeting…