Photo of Barney Macintyre
Barney Macintyre

Business News Editor

Barney Macintyre is the Business News Editor at The Observer and the author of the Boardroom Sensemaker newsletter. He previously covered business and environment for Tortoise.

Photo of Barney Macintyre

Barney Macintyre

Business News Editor

Barney Macintyre is the Business News Editor at The Observer and the author of the Boardroom Sensemaker newsletter. He previously covered business and environment for Tortoise.

  • Barney Macintyre
    Two-thirds of UK firms warn of job cuts over pension tax raid

    Exclusive: Chancellor’s autumn budget proposal would hit young people hardest, finds CBI survey of 2,600 employers

    Mon, 1 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Boaz Weinstein eyes UK’s Workspace after boardroom coup

    The US activist investor has set his sights on Workspace, calling for a mass sell-off of London property and the removal of five board directors

    Sun, 31 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    BP board ousts Albert Manifold as chair, citing “serious concerns”

    The oil and gas giant now faces fresh questions over its governance and strategic direction as chief executive Meg O’Neill attempts a reset

    Sun, 31 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Albert Manifold’s dismissal at BP raises more questions than answers

    BP’s latest bout of boardroom drama has seen its chair depart amid allegations of bullying, as governance continues to be a sore for the oil company

    Wed, 27 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Boardroom Sensemaker: M&S’s hacking woes show cyber prepping is key

    The supermarket’s pre-tax profit was down roughly a quarter on the previous year thanks to tech scammers. Boards need to prepare for the evolving risk from AI

    Sun, 24 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Elon Musk files SpaceX IPO but the figures are fantasy

    Investors are warned of ‘absurd’ valuations and a structure that grants the billionaire absolute control forever

    Sun, 24 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Could OnlyFans become the bank that likes to say yes, yes, yes...?

    Having helped its creators monetise their wares, the porn-friendly media company may one day offer them bank accounts, loans, even mortgages. What could go wrong?

    Sun, 17 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    British firms fear foreign buyers are being offered sweetheart deals

    Caution from domestic institutional investors has outsiders circling FTSE companies

    Sun, 17 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Battle over Intertek risks another FTSE 100 company drifting overseas

    As chair Andrew Martin prepares to step down, he’s simultaneously dealing with a take-private bid that could mean the company exits the FTSE 100

    Wed, 13 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    We’ve seen enough U-turns, it’s time to signal the UK is open for business

    Policies that convince entrepreneurs to stay, attract new talent from abroad and restore confidence in the City are essential to growth

    Sun, 10 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    ‘It’s the equivalent of Gulf oil’: investors bet on UK science

    The tech sector has huge potential to drive economic growth, say business leaders, but only if investors take greater risks

    Sun, 10 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Flutter’s flight of fancy – what the valuation gap with the UK looks like in practice

    Not every company that chooses to list in America over Britain does well out of it

    Wed, 6 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    HMRC could lose £1.5bn Glencore tax dispute in secret ‘all or nothing’ process

    Fifteen years after launching the long-running case, the taxman stands to lose the lot if a panel of foreign arbitrators rules in favour of the commodities giant

    Sun, 3 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Nelson Peltz seeks more spice from Unilever after foods merger

    The activist investor’s bet has yet to pay off. Now, with a $45bn deal agreed to merge the Marmite maker’s foods business, the pressure on costs and an appetite for acquisitions are growing

    Sun, 26 Apr 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    View from Silicon Valhalla: the lessons of Sweden’s rise to tech powerhouse

    The country is outperforming Britain thanks to its unique ‘flywheel’ effect and government support, and nowhere is innovation thriving more than in Gothenburg

    Sun, 26 Apr 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Primark owner to split its food and fashion empire

    The demerger comes at a risky moment, as war in the Middle East dampens consumer confidence

    Sun, 19 Apr 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Confidence crisis in software sector delays Visma IPO

    The Norwegian software company was the darling of the City – until the release of a powerful AI legal tool forced a rethink

    Sun, 19 Apr 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    ‘Rollback’ champion Leighton is facing tough times at Asda

    Falling profits and market share have put a target on the back of the supermarket’s former saviour, and its new landlord is facing its own share of troubles too

    Sun, 12 Apr 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Litigation funder set for £100m payday if estate agents beat Rightmove

    Any win for individual claimants would be dwarfed by that of the firm bankrolling their £1.5bn class action against the property portal

    Sun, 5 Apr 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    The trillion-dollar question for OpenAI: will its bubble burst?

    The artificial intelligence company is looking to list on the US stock market, but it has taken a big hit from its competitors in recent months

    Sun, 29 Mar 2026

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