Elton John, Dua Lipa and Sir Ian McKellen among superstars urging Starmer to stop AI copyright threat
Battersea Power Station receives green light for next phase of development May 1, 2025 Battersea Power Station has received planning consent for the next phase of its 42-acre regeneration. A new group of residential, retail, community and leisure builds has secured planning approval from Wandsworth Council, completing “London’s newest street”, Electric Boulevard. Head of development at Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), James Wixley, called the planning consent the [...]
Food inflation rises to its highest level in almost a year April 29, 2025 Food inflation has risen to its highest level in almost a year as cost pressures begin to weigh on prices. Food inflation increased to 2.6 per cent year on year in April, against growth of 2.4 per cent in March and above the three-month average of 2.4 per cent, according to the British Retail Consortium [...]
Cheaper mortgages to support sales as house price growth slows April 29, 2025 Lower demand and higher supply caused house price growth to slow in March, but analysts expect an improvement in affordability to boost prices in the coming months. House price growth slowed to 1.6 per cent annually in March, down from 1.9 per cent at the end of 2024, according to Zoopla’s latest house price index. [...]
Marriott to acquire smart hotel brand CitizenM for £266m April 28, 2025 Marriott International will acquire hotel and lifestyle brand CitizenM for £266m as it looks to expand its select-service and lifestyle lodging offerings. CitizenM, which opened its first hotel in 2008, currently operates 36 open hotels – with 8,544 rooms – across more than 20 cities. The brand’s current pipeline includes three under-construction hotels comprising over 600 [...]
Fiscal drag pulls nearly 2 million into higher tax bracket April 28, 2025 Income tax thresholds, frozen in 2021, have pulled nearly two million Brits into higher brackets as fiscal drag bites. The number of higher rate taxpayers has increased by 1.88m, from 4.43, to 6.31m, between 2021 and 2025, according to finance specialists Rift. “Rising income taxes have been particularly punitive in recent years, as inflation reached [...]
M&S: FTSE 100 shares continue to drop after cyber attack April 28, 2025 Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) share price has fallen more than three per cent in early trades this morning as the effects of a cyber attack last week rage on. The FTSE 100 retailer’s share price has fallen by nearly nine per cent since it announced the attack in a statement to the London Stock Exchange [...]
Plus500 raises guidance despite revenue dip April 28, 2025 Fintech group Plus500 has raised its outlook for the year despite reporting a mixed start to the year. Its share price dipped 1.6 per cent in early trades. The company told markets this morning that revenue in the first quarter of the year increased by 13 per cent month on month but fell by five [...]
Deliveroo suspends share buyback programme amid Doordash offer April 28, 2025 Deliveroo has suspended its £100m share buyback programme after receiving a proposal from US-rival Doordash. The takeaway giant had unveiled the programme, which would have brought its shareholder returns to £550m since 2023, in its March full-year results. Deliveroo said it could recommence the programme at a later date. On April 25 the company confirmed [...]
Green shoots for jobs market as both vacancies and wages rise April 28, 2025 Job vacancies have grown for a second straight month in a positive sign for the UK economy, although retail has continued to struggle. Vacancies grew year-on-year for the first time since July 2022, up 1.03 per cent to 871,168, according to Adzuna. Average salaries similarly continued climbing to £41,962 in March 2025, a 1.12 per [...]
Housing wealth held by over-60s hits record high April 28, 2025 Over-60s now control more than half of all housing wealth in the UK, according to new research. The rise in value of homes has been particularly acute for those who own property outright, with above-average growth in the number of older homeowners joining the ranks of the mortgage-free, according to property firm Savills. In total, [...]