WH Smith shares tumble after retailer admits accounting blunder August 21, 2025 Shares in WH Smith tumbled on Thursday after the newsagent and travel retailer admitted to an accounting blunder that has wiped tens of millions of pounds from its profits. The FTSE 250 firm said a “financial review” identified an overstatement of around £30m of expected headline trading profit in its North America division that was [...]
Tax-free pension lump sum could be slashed to fill Labour’s black hole August 21, 2025 Tax-free lump sum withdrawals from pension pots could be slashed as Rachel Reeves scrambles for fresh ways to plug a £50bn hole in the public finances. The Chancellor is reportedly eyeing a cut to the amount of money pensioners can withdraw from their savings pot without paying tax to as little as £40,000. That would [...]
Hays slashes dividend as profit plummets August 21, 2025 Hays reported drops across most of its financial lines as the group battles a challenging hiring market, forcing it to reduce its final dividend for shareholders.
UK government borrowing since April hits £60bn August 21, 2025 The UK government borrowed a total of £1.1bn last month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), compared to £2.3bn last year and below the fiscal watchdog’s £2.6bn forecast. The total deficit hit £60bn in the months since April, which is £6.7bn more than in the same four-month period of 2024 and the third-highest [...]
Retail giants warn Reeves her tax plans risk UK living standards August 21, 2025 Tesco, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis, along with other UK retail heavyweights, have issued a direct warning to chancellor Rachel Reeves, arguing that her government’s tax policies could undermine its key promise to raise living standards. The retailers claim they are being forced to raise prices in the face of mounting costs, and that additional taxes [...]
RFU backing of Red Roses can aid better English pro structure August 21, 2025 So it begins. Red Roses vs USA at the Stadium of Light. Friday night, BBC 1. That’s a USA fielding the rugby player with by far the biggest social media following on the planet, Ilona Maher. You won’t find a hotter ticket this year than the Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham on 27 [...]
Notting Hill Carnival 2025 is make or break for Sadiq Khan August 21, 2025 Mayor Sadiq Khan has staked his reputation – and your cash – on this year’s Carnival going off without a hitch, writes James Ford.
Government urged to expand auto-enrolment to prevent pension poverty August 21, 2025 The UK’s auto-enrolment contribution scheme should be reformed to prevent more workers slipping into retirement poverty, the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has said. In its latest paper, the SPP has called on the Pension Commission, which was revived in July, to consider changing auto-enrolment rates and look at factors causing weak levels of pension saving. While [...]
Exclusive: Just third of Brits think women’s football good value August 21, 2025 Only a third of Brits think women’s football is value for money, exclusive data shared with City PM reveals ahead of next month’s WSL return. The surprising statistic comes as the English top flight looks for an attendance bounce after the Lionesses won a second consecutive Euros title. Ipsos data shows that only 35 per [...]
Consumer confidence still a ‘far cry’ from optimism of summer 2024 August 21, 2025 Consumer confidence ticked up slightly in August but remains far below where it was last summer, when Labour was elected in landslide victory. Brits’ expectations over the next three months of their personal financial situation have improved one point to minus six, a seven-point drop from August 2024, according to new figures from the British [...]
