Private

Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows‘Treating children like cattle’: what happens when private equity takes over a UK care home?Nurseries, vets and shops: the sectors where private equity plays a big roleOne pound in every £11 of UK government spending on contractors went to private equity-controlled companies last year, research shows, including key services such as transport, waste management and healthcare.Politicians and economists have raised concerns over the “financial fragility and sharp cost cutting” created by private equity-backed firms, which often have high levels of debt, and the “conflicting interests” in running public services for maximum profit. Continue reading...

• EU private equity firms invested $6.8 billion in local AI companies in 2025, an 83.3% increase from the previous year. • This significant investment boost is expected to spur growth in the AI sector, with funding for AI startups and adoption of AI solutions by portfolio companies. • The increase in investment is likely driven by the potential for AI to improve operations and create new opportunities for businesses.

Plans by Wolfgang Porsche to bore private 500-metre road link through Austrian hill caused anger among localsWolfgang Porsche, the Austrian-German automotive magnate, appears to have abandoned plans to build a private 500-metre tunnel for his cars through the Salzburg hills after a public uproar over the “tunnel for one”.In 2020, Porsche bought a storied 17th-century villa on the outskirts of Salzburg for €8.4m (£7.2m), and last autumn he secured permission from the city authorities for an estimated €10m private access road through the rugged limestone hill. Continue reading...

Artist had requested only his partner and great-nephew attend, with memorial services planned in places he livedOnly two people attended David Hockney’s funeral last week – in line with the British artist’s final wishes.The two mourners at the private ceremony were Hockney’s 61-year-old partner, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and his 33-year-old great-nephew, Richard Hockney, a photographer who worked as the artist’s assistant and frequently modelled for him. Both are trustees of the David Hockney Foundation, established by the artist in 2008. Continue reading...

• Relativity Space announced plans in June 2026 to privately build and launch a Mars orbiter by 2028. • The mission will carry NASA's Aeolus atmospheric instruments and serve as a communications relay, funded by an unnamed philanthropic donor. • The announcement comes despite the company's poor track record, as its only rocket flight in March 2023 failed to reach orbit due to a second-stage engine failure.

• NASA announced a new public-private partnership on Wednesday aimed at advancing Mars science by integrating agency leadership with commercial innovation. • The initiative seeks to accelerate scientific discovery and increase the frequency of missions to the Red Planet. • This collaboration is a strategic move to strengthen the technical and scientific foundation required for future human exploration of Mars.

• Relativity Space has announced plans to develop and launch a private Mars orbiter mission scheduled for 2028. • This initiative marks a strategic shift for the company as it moves toward privately developing complex planetary missions. • The project demonstrates a growing trend of commercial aerospace firms expanding their capabilities beyond Earth's orbit to explore deep space.

Education secretary cites admissions data for England since tax imposed showing falling applications to state sectorAdding VAT to private school fees has failed to trigger an exodus of pupils into the state sector despite widespread speculation that it would, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has said.The Labour government applied 20% VAT to private school fees from the start of 2025. They had previously been exempt from the tax. Newly published admissions data for England showed there had been no influx towards state schools since then. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ex-minister accuses Labour of ‘overcautiousness’ and says his proposal was cut from manifestoWes Streeting has said his plan to ban “private equity sharks” from the social care sector was removed from the Labour manifesto, as he accused the government of “overcautiousness” in reforming the industry.In a Fabian Society report on how to create a national care service, Streeting said overhauling social care was “one of the defining challenges of our age” but an “absence of good political leadership” was holding back change. Continue reading...

• On June 16, 2026, the G7 unveiled a new global roadmap designed to transition developing nations away from aid dependency. • The strategy emphasizes a significant push for private investment to foster sustainable economic growth and self-sufficiency. • This shift matters as it represents a fundamental change in international development policy, moving from traditional grants to market-driven capital.

• The Sensex reclaimed the 74,000 mark and rose over 230 points by midday on June 11, 2026, while the Nifty remained above 23,230. • Market recovery was driven by strong buying in private banks and pharma stocks, which offset losses in the IT sector. • This rebound occurs despite severe volatility in US markets, where the Dow Jones fell 1.87% to 49,918.78 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.98% due to Iran-US military escalation.

• On June 10, 2026, the Sensex surged 355 points and the Nifty crossed 23,300 in early trade, driven by gains in FMCG and private banking stocks. • The market rally occurred despite deepening geopolitical tensions following fresh US strikes on Iran, which caused mixed reactions across Asian markets. • While Indonesia’s JSX Composite jumped 7.57% and Thailand’s SET index rose 1.44%, North Asian markets like Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.01% due to safe-haven yen strength.

• Deloitte released a new M&A Pulse Survey featuring insights from 500 corporate and private equity (PE) leaders regarding current market trends. • The findings reveal a sense of "cautious optimism" for deal activity leading into 2026, with leaders emphasizing a more disciplined approach to acquisitions. • Cross-border acquisitions are highlighted as a primary strategic path for growth as dealmakers seek new opportunities.

• Global private equity technology M&A transaction volume plummeted by 70% in the first quarter of this year due to widespread anxiety over AI disruption. • Software asset valuations are under significant pressure, and the profit growth threshold required to hit a 2.5x return target has surged from 5% to approximately 12%. • This shift has created a stark divide in the market, where high-quality assets remain viable while older, overpriced assets with uncertain AI prospects are nearly impossible to offload.

Joint-chair and director of relegated club to tackle ‘false allegations’‘I am absolutely not the person the media has decided to paint me as’David Sullivan has announced his resignation as a joint-chair and director of West Ham with immediate effect in a statement.Sullivan and his legal representatives published his intention to stand down on the club’s website on Saturday “for the benefit of transparency”. It read: “I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published. Continue reading...

• Goldman Sachs reported on Tuesday, June 3, that private infrastructure and real estate capital will increasingly fund the rapid expansion of AI data centers. • This shift occurs as companies move away from traditional financing methods to meet the massive capital demands of AI infrastructure. • The trend is significant because it diversifies the funding sources available to support the ongoing AI-driven technology boom.

• French private equity firm Ardian is backing the development of a €5 billion AI "gigafactory" located outside of Paris. • The project involves the construction of a massive data center and research facility designed to bolster Europe's technological infrastructure. • This investment is part of a broader strategic effort to establish a "digital backbone for the future," reducing Europe's reliance on non-EU AI infrastructure.

As Trump’s approval ratings dip and gas prices rise, Democrats see an opening with Rob SandRob Sand, the best-known Democrat in Iowa, appears on podcasts to discuss his love of hunting, begins rallies by having the audience sing America the Beautiful and has a tendency to criticize the country’s two-party political system.Now, Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate under Donald Trump, and Democrats believe his candidacy for governor could be the breakthrough needed to win key Iowa offices in the November midterm elections. Continue reading...

Sources predict ‘toe-curling’ revelations as more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to his appointment as US ambassador to be publishedMandelson files show no mitigation of security concernsGood morning. Many people despair at the quality of governance in Britain at the moment, but in one respect we are living through a golden age; if you are interested in contemporary history, and learning about what actually happens at the heart of government, then you can now – sometimes – access the sort of information never available before.Today the government is publishing a mass of information – apparently running to three volumes, and more than 1,000 pages – containing the private messages Peter Mandelson exchanged with government ministers and officials when he was ambassador to the US, and before his appointment. Last month a minister compared this to the evidence released as part of the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war. But the Chilcot inquiry took place in the era before WhatsApp, and it was publishing secret memos – intended for circulation within Whitehall. WhatsApp messages are a lot more personal; reading them is like being able to eavesdrop on a private conversation. Mandelson is a man with spiky, controversial views, who loves gossip and plotting, and whose private views don’t always accord with what he has said in public. It should be fascinating.I think the level of transparency is going to be unprecedented. The volume of information that’s going to be put out is unprecedented.It’s right we do that. We have been very clear that the appointment of Mandelson was wrong. Continue reading...

• South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council launched a public-private consultative body on Friday in Seoul. • The committee, consisting of 22 industry representatives, will discuss the implementation of a "holdback" system to establish mandatory waiting periods before films move from theaters to other platforms. • This initiative aims to protect the theatrical window and support the domestic cinema ecosystem against the rapid shift toward streaming services.

Water company blames increased demand amid extreme heat, but customers want answers about lack of storage reservoirs“Spitting, fuming, angry and powerless” is how Pat Prestage describes her emotions after a water outage that has affected thousands of homes in Kent during a May heatwave.On Wednesday, 8,000 South East Water customers in Whitstable lost water, with 14,000 more in Tankerton, Ashford, and its surrounding areas facing intermittent supply or low pressure. South East Water’s incident manager, Matthew Dean, said on Thursday that 22,000 people had had water supply problems. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Parliamentary records show the One Nation MPs claimed travel expenses for fundraising events on exclusive cruise liner where mining billionaire owns an apartmentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce billed taxpayers more than $3,000 to attend fundraising and donor events on board the luxury cruise ship The World, hosted by the mining billionaire Gina Rinehart.Guardian Australia can reveal that in December last year Hanson and Joyce attended multiple private events on the world’s largest privately owned cruise ship, on which Australia’s richest person owns an exclusive multimillion-dollar apartment. Continue reading...

Radiologists say ‘ballooning’ costs reflect staffing failures, forcing a reliance on lower-quality private scan reportsThe NHS is paying private firms record sums to analyse diagnostic scans because hospitals are too busy and understaffed to do the work themselves, research has revealed.The amount being spent on outsourced the interpretation of CT and MRI scans is “spiralling out of control” and reflects a short-sighted failure to train enough doctors, ministers are being told. Continue reading...

One of two MPs who came in top five of vote could be persuaded to take on Kim Leadbeater’s bill in the Commons Assisted dying campaigners have a narrow path to revive the bill after two MPs who backed the change came in the top five of the new private member’s bill ballot.Supporters of Kim Leadbeater’s original private member’s bill, which ran out of time to be passed, have the chance to use the Parliament Act to bypass the Lords if they can persuade another MP to take it through the Commons again. Continue reading...

One Nation leader and Barnaby Joyce flew on Gina Rinehart’s plane from the Sunshine Coast to Mount Isa before taking charter to tour flood-affected communitiesPauline Hanson billed taxpayers almost $16,000 in private charter flights to travel around flood-affected Queensland on the suggestion of billionaire Gina Rinehart, despite previously claiming the trip was at “no cost to the taxpayer”.In January, Hanson and Barnaby Joyce flew on Rinehart’s luxury Gulfstream G700 from the Sunshine Coast to Mount Isa, after which they travelled on charter flights to flood-affected communities around Julia Creek to meet local mayors. Continue reading...

Shares in Spire Healthcare jump after approach from Toscafund, founded by City figure known as ‘the Rottweiler’Business live – latest updatesThe board of Britain’s largest private hospital operator has backed a buyout proposal worth £1bn from its second-biggest shareholder, a hedge fund manager known as “the Rottweiler”, sending its shares soaring by nearly 50%.Spire Healthcare, which owns the Claremont hospital in Sheffield and St Anthony’s hospital in south London, said it had received a non-binding proposal worth 250p a share from funds advised by the activist investor Toscafund Asset Management. Continue reading...

Privilege being mistaken for competence as study reveals no evidence to suggest companies run by state-educated peers underperformChief executives who attended private school are perceived as a “safer bet” by investors, according to a study, despite there being no evidence they perform or behave differently to their state-educated counterparts.Companies run by privately educated bosses tend to experience lower stock market volatility, even though there are no meaningful differences in their performance, decision-making or crisis management, the research from the University of Surrey found. Continue reading...

Influential IPPR proposes capping rents at whichever is lower of consumer price inflation or wage growthUK politics live – latest updatesOne of the thinktanks closest to the Labour government is urging ministers to introduce private sector rent controls in England, as the chancellor weighs up how to ease a surge in living costs caused by the Iran war.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has published a paper calling for a rent “double lock”, which would link rent increases to either wages or inflation, depending on which was lower. Continue reading...