Rent control law to ‘knock £11bn’ off commercial property January 8, 2026 New legislation introducing rent controls could lead to £11bn being stripped from commercial property values, fresh analysis has shown, in the latest blow to the confidence for investors. The government is proposing a ban on upward-only rent hikes on commercial property in a bid to support small businesses with costs. The proposed ban can be [...]
Are we facing an AI jobs apocalypse? January 8, 2026 Police in Cornwall are on the hunt for a masked vandal seen on CCTV spraying “AI will take our jobs” across multiple sites in the villages of Polbathic, Widegates and Crafthole. Is this vigilante right to warn us all? Ask Chat GPT whether AI will lead to a jobs apocalypse and the answer is suspiciously [...]
Labour urged to ramp up defence spending January 7, 2026 The Labour government is being urged to ramp up defence spending at a faster pace as opposition party leaders warned threats to Greenland, Ukraine and Nato required Keir Starmer to take swift action. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey were among those demanding the government to bring forward a 2034 deadline [...]
Shell and BP shares sink as China slams ‘bully’ US over oil dispute January 7, 2026 Shares in FTSE 100 oil giants took a tumble on Wednesday as President Donald Trump ramped up the pressure on Venezuela to hand over oil. Shell had sunk near four per cent by midday to 2,644.7p whilst BP was down 3.5 per cent to 416.65p. The losses in the oil giants – which make up [...]
Brexit division to return to parliament in bill for EU deal January 6, 2026 New dividing lines are set to open up in parliament over the coming months as the government prepares to lay out a bill to get its EU “reset” deal signed off by MPs. Keir Starmer has signalled his intention to build closer trade ties with the world’s largest economic bloc in a bid to boost [...]
Cost burden on firms rise at fastest pace since May January 6, 2026 Cost burdens on firms rose at their fastest pace since May as bosses dealt with wage growth pressures and sky-high energy prices, new data has indicated. S&P Global’s latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a monthly survey tracking hundreds of companies’ performances, showed that cost increases became heavier at the end of last year. Researchers said [...]
Finance chiefs fearful of war and geopolitical risks January 6, 2026 Finance chiefs have begun the year fretting over the spectre of war and rising global tensions as President Trump’s shock operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro put investor nerves on edge. A quarterly survey by Big Four accounting firm Deloitte showed that “geopolitical risks”, which can include everything from higher tariffs to conflict and [...]
FTSE 100 closes above 10,000 after Trump triggers defence rally January 5, 2026 British defence and mining stocks set the FTSE 100 flying high on Monday after the fallout from the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro heightened investor appetite. The surging stock prices helped the blue-chip index cement its first close over the 10,000 mark, ending the session at 10,004.57 after a 0.5 per cent [...]
Brits borrowed more despite Budget unease January 5, 2026 British consumers took out more in credit over November than expected despite suggestions that Budget speculation would have held people back from taking risks, official data has shown. Economists widely predicted that weeks of speculation over tax rises dampened consumer sentiment and prevented people from borrowing more. But the Bank of England has revealed that [...]
UK economy showing signs of ‘zombie apocalypse,’ says think tank January 5, 2026 The UK economy faces a “zombie apocalypse” in the coming year, as years of tough trading conditions force thousands of unproductive firms to the wall, an influential left-leaning think tank has predicted. The Resolution Foundation forecasts a “triple whammy” of multi-year increases in interest rates, energy prices and the minimum wage will lead to the [...]