By Paul Watts-Barnes Recent coverage has reignited the “will higher Capital Gains Tax (CGT) stop people selling?” debate — including commentary on HMRC figures showing CGT receipts falling (reported as down 8.4% to around £13.6bn in 2025) as investors delay disposals. At No.20 Berkeley Square, our view is simple: tax matters — but it shouldn’t be the tail that wags the dog. Great businesses still change hands for the same reasons they always have: strategy, succession, market

Yesterday morning at No.20 Berkeley Square, We the pleasure of spending time alongside Kerrie Hunt (Thrings) discussing the Employment Rights Act (ERA) with our members and guests — and it sparked exactly the kind of high-quality, practical conversation we love to see in the room.

Bristol’s waterfront just got a very loud, very tangible signal that the market is turning a corner. Canons Wharf — the Grade II-listed harbourside estate and former regional headquarters of Lloyds Banking Group — has secured a £74m development loan from Puma Property Finance, backing a joint venture between Mactaggart Family & Partners (MF&P) and Kinrise. In a cautious UK office climate, that’s not just funding — it’s conviction.

If you’re a UK founder, a management team, or a private equity house looking at 2026 with cautious optimism, you’re not alone. The early signals coming out of the investment banking market point to a meaningful shift: confidence is rising, financing is more available, and the long-delayed exit pipeline is starting to move again. In plain English? More deals are likely to get done — and more exits are likely to happen. The ingredients for a stronger exit market are lining up

Bristol is one of those UK cities where the numbers and the lived experience finally agree: it’s a place with genuine momentum. Not hype—momentum. A strong base of knowledge-led employers, a deep engineering heritage, an expanding tech ecosystem, and a city identity that attracts talent and keeps it. For businesses looking for their next growth market, Bristol is an unusually attractive mix of opportunity, decision density, and relationship-driven commerce . It’s also a city