SEC Newgate UK

At the end of last year, the Planning and Infrastructure Act removed requirements for consultation on nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs). However, the requirements remained in place until new guidance could be published. This Monday was the annual NIPA conference, where developers and consultants who work on NSIPs come together to discuss key issues, so it was convenient that the updated guidance arrived just in time.

The political spotlight is firmly on Manchester as the rest of the country asks what might be expected from a government shaped by its recent experience. But at a time when the prospect of Number 10 North is grabbing the headlines, it’s worth considering that Manchester’s rich story of radical political reform is no recent thing. Way back in 1819, the devastating experience of the Peterloo Massacre sparked reforms way bigger than Manchesterism is ever likely to.

Two years ago, SEC Newgate representatives were in the throng of parliamentary candidates at UKREiiF just at the moment they found out a general election would take place sooner than they’d expected. Nothing beats being in the thick of political events when big news changes the scene completely. At last year’s LGA Annual Conference and Exhibition, Reform UK’s presence was a little undercooked.

Australia and Britain have always shared an odd culinary heritage. Australians inherited the biscuit aisle from the British, then quietly improved it. Which brings me to a question that feels strangely appropriate for the current investment climate: what tells us more about a nation’s economic psyche, the Tim Tam or the Jaffa Cake? The traditional Tim Tam, for the uninitiated UK reader, is unapologetically Australian.

There is no denying that the private capital industry is operating in a moment of significant change, from tackling tough fundraising conditions to a sceptical public debate about its role in the economy. Even so, it continues to be viewed as a potential partner in addressing some of the UK’s most pressing economic challenges. That tension was palpable walking into last week’s UK Private Capital Investment Policy Forum.

Things were so much simpler when commercial television first flickered into life as an alternative to the BBC back in 1955. In return for pumping money and creativity into programming, the individual companies within the ITV network would reap handsome rewards through advertising revenues. In their prime, each was a creative powerhouse.

Nigel Farage will step down as an MP to trigger a by-election in Clacton… in which he will stand as a candidate. This comes after his register of interests hit headlines, with reports of several high-value benefits funded by aristocrat George Cottrell, in addition to the £5 million donated by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, both of which were undeclared. Cottrell’s past has caused concern; in 2016, he served eight months in prison for agreeing to launder money.

Another day, another series of questions unanswered for Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage. Today, The Times newspaper has been raking through Land Registry records that show he owns at least five homes across three counties. Four were paid in cash. Farage’s response on where all this cash came from for a politician who famously said he was “skint”? Move along, nothing to see here.

From the World Cup to Wimbledon, every major tournament follows the same script before it begins. Data models forecast odds, pundits identify favourites and fans confidently predict how events will unfold. And then reality intervenes. An underdog goes further than expected, a dominant team exits early, Germany is knocked out on penalties. A moment, a decision or injury changes everything. Despite the increasingly sophisticated analysis, the outcome rarely aligns perfectly with the forecasts.

PISCES, the framework enabling share trading in private companies, was widely promoted as a game changer for UK growth companies when it gained regulatory approval last summer. In her July 2025 Mansion House speech, Chancellor Rachel Reeves hailed it as a “world-first UK financial services innovation”.