(Alliance News) - The Chancellor has set out plans to cut back on "form-filling and pointless paperwork" that aim to cut some GBP800 million worth of red tape for businesses. The measures designed to give businesses "breathing space" come ahead of John Healey's first Budget next week, in which he has said he wants to ease cost pressures on both companies and households. He and Prime Minister Andy Burnham are due to meet small business leaders at No 10 North on Friday. hey are part of efforts to cut back the regulatory admin businesses are required to do by 25% by the end of this Parliament. Streamlined reporting requirements are expected to save GBP290 million; easing "duplicative reporting burdens" for asset managers GBP105 million; and cutting red tape for buying and selling homes GBP116 million for businesses in the transaction chain. Extending tariff suspensions on more than 250 products is due to save up to GBP155 million, according to the Treasury.
Comment: After piling on nearly £70bn onto the general public in extra tax since coming to office, and with this number threatening to hit £100bn in the wake of next week’s Budget, £800m is a drop in the ocean, and like saving a quid on a bus fare, a gimmick. The breathing space is presumably designed to allow businesses to make more money, so they can pay more tax to fund people who do not work.
Halo Minerals PLC | HALO:LN , the copper development company focused on recovering critical minerals from legacy mining waste, announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Minera Playa Verde SpA, has been granted a key mining permit for the Playa Verde copper and gold tailings processing project in northern Chile. The permit, required under Article 17 No. 1 of the Chilean Mining Code, authorises mining works relating to the dredging of mineral-bearing material at Chañaral beach, an important step as Halo advances the Project towards a final investment decision (“FID”) and development.
Comment: Out of the London market’s coterie of explorer / developers we already know that thanks to tailings and a local desire for the rehabilitation of Playa Verde, HALO should be one of the first, if not the first to production. And of course it will be significant. The run up to FID represents a sweet spot in the company’s life cycle, and should trigger decent moves for the shares from current levels.
Bezant Resources Plc | BZT:LN , the copper-gold exploration and development company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with US-based YA II PN Ltd, an institutional investor managed by Yorkville Advisors Global, LP for a £4 million gross financing facility which is being drawn down in full. The Facility, structured as a non-convertible unsecured loan repayable in cash, provides Bezant with additional working capital and financial flexibility to support its ongoing operations, corporate requirements and development activities. The financing comes at an important stage in the Company’s development, with copper concentrate production now underway at Hope and Gorob in Namibia and the first shipment anticipated in November 2026.
Comment: Although one cannot tell it from the initial share price reaction, the finance facility for BZT is a company maker, and one that de-risks it in terms of the flagship Hope and Gorob asset, particularly now that production is on its way. This could be the next Colin Bird vehicle to leave the station – in share price terms of course.
The Smarter Web Company Plc | SWC:AQX announces the purchase of additional Bitcoin as part of "The 10 Year Plan" which includes an ongoing treasury policy of acquiring Bitcoin. Details are as follows: Number of Bitcoin Purchased: 20 Bitcoin. Total Bitcoin Holdings: 2,850 Bitcoin. Net Bitcoin Purchases: £233,235,750. Net Average Purchase Price: £81,837 per Bitcoin.
Comment: SWC has spent nearly £250bn buying Bitcoin at an average of some $110,000. All that one can say is that any gambler could have achieved the same questionable result, and done so without the PLC costs, salaries et al. But where’s the fun in that? Presumably, the 10 Year Plan will work out as it is twice as long as China’s famous 5 Year Plans, and clearly something that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham decided to copy.
Huddled Group PLC Ord | HUD:LN , the live commerce group, announces that it has signed binding heads of terms to acquire the entire issued share capital of AEWW Ltd, its joint venture partner on the Whatnot platform. As announced on 18 August 2026, the Group entered into a joint venture with AEWW Ltd to operate live commerce channels on the Whatnot platform. Jason and Regan McNeill, the co-founders of AEWW Ltd, will join Huddled as employees to further boost the Group’s Live Commerce capabilities and help lead its expansion plans. The agreed consideration for the Acquisition is £290,000, which will be satisfied by the issue of 38,666,667 new Ordinary Shares in the Company.
Comment: HUD has been one of the better “normal” business situations of the year, with the share price making a pleasing trajectory since the summer. While today’s deal is not exactly in the big Wall Street category, it does indicate an ambition for expansion in a sensible manner.
Avacta Group Plc | AVCT:LN , a life sciences company developing innovative, targeted oncology drugs, today announces the presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress of the FOCUS-01 Phase 1 clinical trial design and substantial progress in the preclinical arena. AVA6103 is the first Next-Generation pre|CISION® controlled-release peptide-drug conjugate platform (PDC), a fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-activated exatecan (Exd) PDC, designed to deliver payload to tumors with similar kinetics of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) using small molecule chemistry. AVCT said "AVA6103's continued ability to shrink HER2+ gastric tumors after progression on Enhertu® demonstrates the potential of pre|CISION® PDCs to deliver sustained antitumor activity in preclinical models, well beyond the time points achievable with ADCs, showing the potential to improve outcomes for patients with aggressive cancers. These results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that pre|CISION® PDCs are not vulnerable to antigen loss, a phenomenon known to limit the efficacy of ADCs such as Enhertu® over time, which is demonstrated here in our results. We observed persistent expression of FAP in the tumor through fibroblast recruitment, which is most likely mechanism for increased payload delivery over time on treatment."
Comment: Given how much AVCT likes to blind us with science in a way that Dr Magnus Pyke might be envious of, it is all the more amazing that the company continues to be a retail investor favourite / stock market darling. Shrinking tumours aside, this extended, expensive science experiment continues to defy gravity in terms of funding and timeframes.
boohoo group plc (BOO ) announced Unaudited Results for the six months ended 31 August 2026. Reported EBITDA Up Over 600%.GMV growth continues to accelerate. Reported EBITDA £19.7m, a £23.2m improvement on H1 FY26. Profit before tax £28.3m, a £46.2m improvement on H1 FY26. Post-period-end transactions will reduce net debt to negligible levels by year-end. Medium-term ambition for Debenhams Group of £100m+ profit before tax. DEBS said, “The turnaround continues at pace. The Group has returned to GMV growth, gross margins are expanding and returns rates lowering. Reported EBITDA has increased over 600% and profit before tax has improved to £28.3m. This is the first time the Group has delivered positive profit before tax since August 2021. I am pleased to report that net debt is expected to be negligible at year-end. This is significantly ahead of our original guidance provided at the start of the year. I see material opportunities ahead and we are fully focused on maximising them.”
Comment: Given today’s news that retail sales are falling off a cliff, it is all the more impressive that DEBS is able to throw such positive metrics at us, and across the board. The explanation in such fundamentals defying situations is that the management are top notch, and in this case we need to trust in such a conclusion.