Astrazeneca vows to lower US medicine prices after pressure from Trump October 13, 2025 Astrazeneca has bowed to pressure from US president Donald Trump to lower the cost of its medicines for patients in America. The Cambridge-based pharma giant said it will provide direct-to-consumer sales to eligible patients with prescriptions for chronic diseases at a discount of up to 80 per cent off list prices, alongside participating in the [...]
Lloyds Bank shares edge up despite £800m motor finance hit October 13, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group has taken a swipe at the City watchdog after being forced to hike its provisions for the motor finance scandal to £2bn. The banking giant said the redress scheme was not proportional or reasonable in ensuring customers were rightly compensated and it did not reflect the “actual loss” of borrowers. It added [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Lloyds warns on ‘adverse’ outcome on motor finance October 13, 2025 Good morning from the City PM liveblog team. As we edge close to the Budget, more and more businesses are growing agitated over how their industry might be affected. Nowhere were these concerns more stark than in retail, where the Co-op has warned that 60,000 small shops and 150,000 jobs could be lost without business [...]
Finance chiefs fear UK is falling behind as Labour growth push falls flat October 13, 2025 UK finance chiefs believe the country is falling behind rivals as costs are stacking up and squeezing profit margins, a new survey has shown, with further alarm bells ringing that businesses are losing faith in Labour’s drive for growth. The government has moved to curry favour with top investment bosses as Rachel Reeves met the [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to levy one-off wealth tax October 13, 2025 Researchers say Rachel Reeves should introduce a one-off wealth tax to avoid the “direct disincentive” of an annual levy. But the Chancellor risks wreaking havoc on the UK economy unless she breaks Labour manifesto commitments and introduces vast reforms to the wider tax system, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). [...]
IMF annual meeting is high-stakes for the UK economy October 13, 2025 Amid global uncertainty, the UK economy needs a vote of confidence from the IMF at its annual meeting this week, writes Chris Hayward.
Two years to go: Your journey to UK T+1 must start now October 13, 2025 The countdown is on to T+1. Here's everything your firm should be doing now to get prepared, writes Andrew Douglas.
Premier Inn investors eye Oasis boost in earnings report October 11, 2025 Investors in Premier Inn’s owner will be hoping the UK’s largest hotel chain has been given a summer boost on the back of rising hotel prices and fans flocking to UK concerts. Whitbread, which also owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre chains, will publish its half-year financial results on Thursday. A group of analysts for [...]
Legal & General eyes bid for Natwest pension provider October 11, 2025 Legal & General is eying a bid for Natwest’s pension provider Cushon as the financial services giant looks to beef up its segment in the retirement market. The FTSE 100 giant is among a handful of potential buyers who have expressed interest in acquiring Cushon. Such a deal with Legal & General would thrust the [...]
Reeves ‘pressures business chiefs to talk up the UK economy’ October 11, 2025 Rachel Reeves has ramped up pressure on business leaders to “talk up” the economy in the run up to the Autumn Budget. The Chancellor has framed her rallying cry to businesses that if they do not support a positive narrative around the economy, they risk Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The Treasury has warned top [...]
