UK economy shrinks more than expected in blow to Reeves Economics The UK economy shrank more than expected in April, official data has shown, suggesting momentum built up in the beginning of this year has already worn away. New figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing a 0.3 per cent contraction come off the back of a strong 0.7 per cent growth in [...]
‘I tried to warn them, but no one listened’ – one man’s crusade against HS2 Transport and infrastructure “History will not be kind to those who, if it is pursued, push through this silly scheme.” It is not far off a decade since Lord Framlingham decided to take drastic action against HS2, the deeply troubled high-speed rail project connecting London and Birmingham. The former commons deputy speaker staged a last-ditch attempt to kill [...]
Optimism on construction boom lifts housebuilder stocks Property Shares in the UK’s major housebuilders have all risen in the past five days as news of government investment buoys the chances of a construction market boom. Vistry and Crest, which have recently boosted their focus on affordable homes, were particular winners: Vistry has risen by more than 20 per cent since June 6, while [...]
Ibstock hikes brick production as UK construction market picks up June 11, 2025 Brick manufacturer Ibstock has reinstated production capacity at several factories, providing a boost to Britain’s building materials shortage. The move is a bet on the building market’s recovery, with higher production capacity ensuring the company is “well placed to benefit from the recovery as it gathers pace.” Ibstock, which holds a 40 per cent share of the [...]
Green light for Sizewell C as £14.2bn to go to major nuclear project as part of Spending Review June 10, 2025 The UK’s nuclear energy capacity is set to receive a major boost after the government confirmed it would put up the funds for the Sizewell C plant, ending months of uncertainty. Funding for the project is set to be announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves alongside a decision on the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition at [...]
UK GDP growth expected to slide after Awful April June 10, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have contracted in April as the double whammy of tax hikes and higher energy prices help reverse the 0.7 per cent growth gains seen in the first three months of the year. A Bloomberg poll of economists said City analysts are pencilling in a 0.1 per cent reduction to [...]
Can populists survive in public office? Ask Geert Wilders… June 9, 2025 Right-wing firebrand Geert Wilders has withdrawn from government in the Netherlands after discovering that governing is harder than criticising from the fringes. It’s a lesson Nigel Farage may learn too, say Eliot Wilson Last week, greeted by more weary fatalism than surprise, the government of the Netherlands collapsed. On Tuesday, radical nationalist Geert Wilders withdrew [...]
Government needs to focus on lowering energy costs to sell net zero, polling says June 9, 2025 The government’s embattled net zero mission suffers from a PR problem. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has been tasked with two huge goals: achieving clean power by 2030, and net zero by 2050. According to fresh polling by PR agency Grayling Media, 55 per cent of people think the 2030 clean power target cannot be attained. [...]
The high-profile non-doms that have quit Britain since the Budget June 6, 2025 If the pleas of wealth advisers and tax lawyers are to be believed, since the Chancellor’s Autumn fiscal crackdown, non-doms have been leaving Britain in droves. We’ve listed the most high-profile departures since the Budget. Having made it almost exactly halfway through her maiden Budget, the UK’s first female Chancellor was beginning to find her [...]
British businesses celebrated in third year of The King’s Awards for Enterprise: June 5, 2025 The recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have now been announced, celebrating the achievements of leading businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands and recognising their vital role in growing our economy to improve lives. This year, 197 businesses representing a diverse range of sectors, have been recognised by His Majesty The King [...]