Inheritance tax haul hits another record February 20, 2026 The government raked in a record amount of cash from inheritance tax, as receipts for the unpopular levy were boosted by frozen thresholds sucking in a record number of taxpayers and ballooning asset prices. The exchequer collected a total of £7.1bn between April 2025 and January 2026 from the tax, official HMRC figures show, a [...]
UK Athletics pleads guilty to corporate manslaughter over Paralympian death February 20, 2026 UK Athletics has pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter after the death of a Paralympian in London in 2017. Abdullah Hayayei, of the United Arab Emirates, was killed at Newham Leisure Centre nearly a decade ago after part of the metal throwing cage – common apparatus at many athletics tracks – fell on the 36-year-old. Parts [...]
Private sector axes more jobs amid Reeves’ tax and wage pressures February 20, 2026 The UK’s private sectors culled jobs for the seventeenth consecutive month in February led by a significant drop in the services sector as businesses were still digesting the impact of Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget. The latest flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global described the rate of job shedding in February as at a [...]
Money Supermarket integrates with ChatGPT in battle to fend off AI threat February 20, 2026 Money Supermarket has launched its own ChatGPT app as the comparison service seeks to quell investor fears over the threat to its business from AI. The new ChatGPT app allows users to access Money Supermarket services directly within the ChatGPT interface, creating a conversational way to search, compare and find deals, without leaving the chat [...]
Aston Martin F1 buys team naming rights in £50m cash deal February 20, 2026 British car manufacturer Aston Martin has announced a £50m cash sale of its Formula 1 naming rights to AMR GP. The deal will enable the eponymous Formula 1 team, owned by Canadian Lawrence Stroll, to have the “exclusive right to use the iconic automotive company’s name, logo and branding in perpetuity”. Formerly Racing Point UK, [...]
MPs want overhaul of Heathrow regulation before third runway February 20, 2026 Nearly nine in 10 members of parliament do not think Heathrow’s ambitious third runway expansion should go ahead unless there is a major overhaul of its regulatory framework to help bring down costs. A fresh poll of British lawmakers found that 84 per cent are reluctant to vote through the historic expansion without the west [...]
Boost for retail sales as tech and fuel drives growth February 20, 2026 UK retail sales grew by 1.8 per cent in January as the performance of non-food retailers outshone struggling supermarkets, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal. Automotive fuel sales, art galleries and tech retailers drove this growth, the ONS said, which was partially dragged down by falling supermarket sales. Retail sales were up slightly on [...]
Reeves lands £30bn reprieve ahead of Spring Statement February 20, 2026 Rachel Reeves has secured a record-breaking borrowing reprieve in fresh data that comes ahead of the Chancellor delivering her Spring Statement in March. The Treasury has been handed a surplus of £30.4bn in January, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, after a surge in tax receipts. The figure is £15.9bn higher [...]
Marketing win for Prem Rugby would be Andy Farrell at Saracens February 20, 2026 Andy Farrell dropping Sam Prendergast for Ireland’s clash with England in the Six Nations this Saturday is a ballsy move. But the next time Farrell travels to Allianz Stadium, after this weekend, could be in a Prem Rugby final as a key cog in the Saracens machine. Because I am one of the growing number [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Retail sales inch up; Segro ups dividend February 20, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The FTSE 100 took a breather from its blistering record run on Thursday after a major stock tumble at British Gas owner Centrica led the index into the red. Centrica shed over five per cent after telling markets it would hit pause on its share [...]
