Carys Sharkey

Premier League clubs spent a record £3.5 billion during the summer transfer window, or £1.4 billion after player sales. The column attributes the spending to the league’s exceptional broadcast wealth, intense competition, managerial turnover, fear of failure and belief that future buyers will pay even more—the “greater fool” theory. Chelsea’s large-scale recruitment and sales strategy is presented as the clearest example of portfolio management, while transfers such as Liam Delap’s move from Chelsea to Nottingham Forest raise questions about rapidly inflating valuations. Financial rules, squad requirements and the premium on homegrown players further shape the market, even as the influx of international talent challenges clubs’ academy investment and supporters’ attachment to changing teams.

A sell-off in global bond markets has pushed UK 10-year gilt yields to their highest level since 2007, increasing government debt-interest costs and reducing Chancellor John Healey’s fiscal headroom. Economists estimate the available margin may have fallen to about £13bn, making substantial tax rises at the 28 October Budget more likely. Healey also faces pressure to fund defence investment, potentially raise defence spending to 3% of GDP, and support households with energy costs. Jim O’Neill warned that higher capital-gains taxes could discourage investment and undermine economic growth.

The piece recommends Chilston Park Hotel in Kent and Coworth Park in Ascot as luxury bases for exploring English wine. Chilston Park is linked to Chapel Down's nearby vineyard and its premium Kits Coty tasting and lunch experience, while Coworth Park offers an extensive English wine list at Woven by Adam Smith and access to nearby vineyards. For visitors staying in London, it also highlights Humble Grape Bow Lane, Angler and Dave's Wine Bar as notable venues for English wines.

Jim O’Neill warns that a capital gains tax increase could become one of Andy Burnham and chancellor John Healey’s leading options for raising revenue ahead of their first Budget in October. He argues that higher capital gains taxation would discourage risk-taking and undermine economic growth. His comments come as UK government borrowing costs rise sharply, with long-term gilt yields reaching their highest levels in decades, prompting concern about investor confidence and the sustainability of increased public spending.

Bodycote, Gamma Communications and Capricorn Energy have announced or recommended takeovers worth more than £3 billion combined, accelerating the departure of companies from the London Stock Exchange. Bodycote agreed to a £1.9 billion acquisition by Veritas Capital, Gamma recommended Epiris’s £1.1 billion offer, and Capricorn switched its recommendation from Genel Energy to DNO’s $396 million bid. The deals add to concerns that London is losing established listed companies to private-equity firms and overseas buyers while struggling to attract new listings.

EasyJet’s recruitment drive for workers over 50, which has more than doubled its over-50 cabin crew and quadrupled its over-60 workforce since 2022, is presented as a model for businesses facing ageing populations and skills shortages. With half of Western Europe’s workforce expected to be over 50 by 2030, employing older workers could add at least £9 billion annually to UK GDP and increase tax and National Insurance receipts by £1.6 billion. Businesses are urged to counter age bias by making flexible working standard, expanding reskilling and career mobility, and updating recruitment systems that disadvantage older applicants. Intergenerational teams are portrayed as beneficial for leadership, customer insight, retention and organisational performance.

Vodafone and Deliveroo are sending senior representatives to Reform UK’s conference despite public threats from party spokesman Zia Yusuf against corporate executives over immigration-related policies. Vodafone will co-host a digital-infrastructure investment event after Yusuf warned CEO Margherita Della Valle of potential imprisonment and contract reviews over the company’s donation of more than 2,000 SIM cards to Care4Calais. Deliveroo is attending amid Reform’s proposed “Deliveroo Law,” which would impose prison sentences on executives whose companies employ asylum seekers or undocumented migrants. Reform says it is attracting a record number of corporate partners as it seeks closer ties with business, while companies including Serco have faced stronger threats over their policies.

Lita’s new culinary director, Kostas Papathanasiou, is drawing on experience at The Fat Duck, The Ledbury and Stockholm’s three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Frantzén to develop a refined but relaxed neighbourhood restaurant in Marylebone. The restaurant aims to serve both affluent locals and tourists through all-day dining, flexible ordering and consistently high-quality cooking. A menu visit is praised for its seafood, salads and light summer dishes, while richer pastas, ragus and steaks provide more substantial options.

Carys Sharkey recommends London's best counter-dining restaurants, arguing that counter seating creates an especially intimate and convivial way to eat, particularly for solo diners and couples. The selections range from New York-inspired Dover Street Counter and seafood institution Bentley's to Indian restaurant BiBi, natural-wine destination 40 Maltby Street, fiery Thai spot Kiln, Michelin-starred Trivet, udon specialist Koya and trattoria-style newcomer Tiella. The list emphasizes atmosphere, chef interaction, distinctive cuisine and value, while noting that omakase counters are a separate category.

Carys Sharkey praises Hélène Darroze at The Connaught for making à la carte dining feel luxurious, relaxed and personally tailored, contrasting its flexibility with the sometimes overwhelming pace of tasting menus. She highlights dishes including white asparagus with whelks, tandoori scallop, John Dory with turnips, lobster and sweetbread feuillette, and baba au rhum. The piece also recommends St John, Camille and Trivet as leading London destinations for à la carte dining.

A positive review of a long weekend in Lisbon centred on the recently opened 158-room Andaz Lisbon, housed in a former bank on Praça do Comércio. The hotel is praised for its Pombaline architecture, contemporary Portuguese-inspired design, comfortable rooms, rooftop terrace, Luzzi restaurant and especially friendly staff. The piece also recommends exploring Lisbon through its food, highlighting Alfama, Graça, Arroios and Belém, along with local dishes, wine bars, restaurants and traditional snacks. The Andaz’s guest excursions, including Lusitano horse riding and a trip to the beaches of Comporta, offer an additional way to experience the surrounding region.