Monday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, NCP, EY, property taxes

18th May 2026 07:13

(Sharecast News) - The worsening fallout from the Iran war is forcing businesses to halt their UK investment and hiring plans, bosses have warned, as Britain enters a renewed period of political and economic instability. More than two months into the US-Israeli war on Iran, leading surveys of UK employers showed companies were increasingly prioritising cost management over growth as rising costs and global uncertainty weigh on confidence. - Guardian

UK business leaders have warned that crime is becoming an increasingly "serious barrier" to growing Britain's economy amid a rise in shoplifting, fraud and cyber-attacks against companies. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which represents tens of thousands of businesses across the country, called on the government to provide "a step change in the support businesses can count on" as it said two-fifths of companies had experienced some form of crime in the past year. - Guardian

Thames Water's investors are scrambling to win approval for their rescue deal amid fears that the Labour leadership race will paralyse the Government and derail talks. The struggling utility's creditors are nearing an agreement with water regulator Ofwat on a more than £10bn rescue plan and are urging ministers to waste no time in backing the deal once it is secured. - Telegraph

Drivers are being chased for unpaid fines from Britain's biggest car park operator even after it collapsed into insolvency. National Car Parks (NCP), which ran 340 car parks across the UK, had a backlog of almost 100,000 unpaid parking charge notices when it went bust in March. Around 15,000 of these were awaiting processing by debt collectors, while a further 80,000 fines dating back years had not been pursued. - Telegraph

EY is believed to have paid more than £100 million to settle the High Court claim brought by the administrators of NMC Health, a former FTSE 100 company that collapsed amid an alleged fraud scandal. The big four audit firm and the healthcare provider reached a confidential settlement in February after a long-running legal battle. A new report by Alvarez & Marsal, the administrators, shows that NMC has received £105.5 million in relation to the resolution of litigation. - The Times

The UK has the highest property taxes of any major economy, leaving the public finances vulnerable to a downturn in investment and real estate valuations. Property taxes make up 3.7 per cent of the total economy - the highest level in the group of advanced economies, according to comparisons compiled by Ryan, a tax firm. - The Times