Salons could ‘pull down shutters for good’ as business rates bite February 2, 2026 The British Beauty Council has urged the government to extend support on business rates to hair and beauty salons, or watch firms up and down the country “pull down their shutters for good”. Victoria Brownlie, chief policy and sustainability officer at the British Beauty Council, warned that the profitability of beauty salons has been “hollowed [...]
Employment falls despite manufacturing output hitting new high February 2, 2026 Employment across the manufacturing sector dropped despite output jumping to its highest level in 17 months, new data has shown. Manufacturers continued shedding staff due to high pay and tax pressures, according to S&P Global’s latest purchasing managers index (PMI). The poor reading for the labour market came in direct conflict with more positive results [...]
Mandelson to Epstein: JP Morgan should ‘threaten’ UK over banker tax February 2, 2026 Lord Peter Mandelson told Jeffrey Epstein that the boss of banking giant JP Morgan should “mildly threaten” the UK Treasury over a tax on banker bonuses whilst the peer was serving as business secretary. New bombshell revelations in the latest drop of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice showed Mandelson, who worked [...]
Bank of England set to hold interest rates January 31, 2026 The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent next week as policymakers continue to battle against sticky inflation. At the monetary policy committee (MPC)’s first meeting of the year, the Bank is expected to suggest it is too early to cut rates due to the lack of available data [...]
Starmer looks to woo Japanese investors amid Asia trip backlash January 31, 2026 Keir Starmer said he would hold discussions with investors and business owners in Japan after landing in Tokyo, with the Prime Minister hoping to defy critics of his recent trip to China with new deals to boost the UK economy. Speaking on a plane from Shanghai to Tokyo, Starmer said discussions with Prime Minister Sanae [...]
Betfred brothers, Alex Gerko, Mike Ashley: Top UK taxpayers revealed January 31, 2026 Betting entrepreneurs Peter Done and Denise Coates, traders Alex Gerko and Chris Rokos, and high street kingpins Tim Martin and Mike Ashley are among the top taxpayers in the UK, new analysis has revealed. Betfred founders Fred and Peter Done paid the most cash into HMRC over the past year, according to The Sunday Times’ [...]
‘Absolutely bonkers’: Labour minister hits back at Trump’s criticism of China trade January 30, 2026 A Labour minister has hit back at comments from President Donald Trump that trading with China was “very dangerous” for the UK. Sir Chris Bryant, who has served as trade minister since September 2025, said it would be “absolutely bonkers” for the UK not to do business with China. “You have to challenge China on [...]
Business confidence drops in blow to Labour January 30, 2026 Business confidence fell again at the start of the year, according to a tracker frequently cited by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, dealing a blow to the government in its hopes of boosting the UK economy before difficult elections in May. Starmer and Reeves have frequently pointed to the Lloyds Bank business barometer when speaking [...]
‘Woke’ banknotes: Bank of England orders money printer to follow ESG rules January 29, 2026 The Bank of England is facing backlash over its plans to make a new banknote printer comply with ESG and diversity standards under a “pass or fail” regime. Bank officials have attracted criticism from shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith over their plans to make applicants for the UK’s new money printing contract follow stringent criteria [...]
Exclusive: Starmer’s opponents receive largest donations in parliament January 29, 2026 Keir Starmer’s fiercest opponents have received the largest sums of cash donations since the General Election, City AM analysis has shown, as moves to weaken the Labour leader’s dominance in Westminster attract financial backing. The Prime Minister has faced intense criticism from all sides of the House of Commons in his first year and a [...]