Banks call for ‘political mandate’ to bolster European defence Banking The banking industry has issued a rallying call for a “political mandate” from the UK and EU in a bid to get regulators to open the taps to a fresh flood of defence financing. A new report from UK Finance – which represents the nation’s financial services giants from Lloyds to Revolut – has called [...]
Diploma: Shares in FTSE 100 giant boom after profit upgrade Tech Shares in specialist tech supplier Diploma boomed on Wednesday morning after the group slapped a hefty upgrade on its financial targets for 2026. The firm’s stock was up as much as 15 per cent on open to 5,771.06p. It came as the FTSE 100 giant said it expects revenue growth to come in at nine [...]
Babcock shares surge as Starmer calls for Europe to ‘step up’ on defence Economics Shares in Britain’s defence giants rallied on Monday morning as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for Europe to “step up” on defence spending. Babcock – which plays a key role in the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet as well as naval, land and air operations – surged nearly four per cent in early trading to [...]
Rolls-Royce: FTSE 100 giants shares eye all-time high in tariff comeback February 3, 2026 Shares in aerospace giant Rolls-Royce were back on the march to an all-time high after a tariff salvo from the US sent the City giant’s stock tumbling. The FTSE 100 titan’s stock was up 1.6 per cent to 1,250.50p on Tuesday morning, making it one of the top risers on the blue-chip index. The Derbyshire-headquartered [...]
Financial services to plough cash into UK defence in 2026 December 29, 2025 Financial services are planning to pump cash into the UK’s defence sector next year after facing pressure to ramp up investment amid increased geopolitical tensions. Nearly two-thirds of financial services leaders expect the sector to increase investment in UK defence in 2026, with more than a quarter anticipating that investment will rise “much more” over [...]
Ex-head of British Army to lead Santander’s defence lending October 6, 2025 The former head of the British Army is set to lead Santander’s bid to bolster its defence lending as the industry experiences soaring demand with nations upping spending. General Sir Patrick Sanders was the chief of the general staff from 2022 to 2024 in the British Army and is set to join the Spanish-headquartered bank [...]
Rolls-Royce, BAE, Babcock: Defence shares rally after Trump remarks September 24, 2025 Shares in London-listed defence firms rallied during early trading on Wednesday after President Donald Trump changed his tune on the Russia and Ukraine conflict. Aerospace firm BAE Systems led the City’s blue-chips with a 1.6 per cent gain to 1,982.50. Meanwhile Babcock was up over one per cent to 1,195 and FTSE darling Rolls-Royce rose [...]
UK defence tech pivots from taboo to City darling August 28, 2025 The UK’s deep tech sector is navigating a seismic shift in investor sentiment toward defence technology. Once a frowned-upon sector, defence is now shedding its taboo, driven primarily by global instability and recent geopolitical headwinds. This transformation, while opening the doors to new investment opportunities, also reveals underlying issues in the UK’s approach to technology [...]
Babcock shares soar as FTSE 100 giant hails ‘new era’ for defence June 25, 2025 Engineering giant Babcock posted a jump in profit for the latest financial year as the firm’s boss hailed a “new era for defence”. The FTSE 100 company – which plays a significant role in supporting the UK’s nuclear submarine program – recorded an 11 per cent increase in revenue to £4.8bn. Meanwhile, operating profit surged [...]
Rolls-Royce signs £9bn submarines deal to create 1,000 jobs January 24, 2025 Rolls-Royce has signed a £9bn submarines deal which will create 1,000 jobs and is the biggest UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contract in its history. The eight-year Unity contract covers research and technology, design, manufacture and in-service support of the nuclear reactors that power the Royal Navy’s fleet of submarines. The Derby-headquartered FTSE 100 giant [...]