Nissan: UK taxpayers to guarantee £1bn loan amid Sunderland plant uncertainty Business The UK taxpayer is to guarantee a £1bn loan to Nissan as part of a major restructuring of the struggling carmaker. The Japanese firm announced plans earlier this month to axe 20,000 jobs globally and shut down seven factories. Confirmation of the restructuring piled uncertainty onto the future of its Sunderland facility, which is the [...]
Government debt sale delayed over ‘Bloomberg system issues’ Markets An auction of UK government debt was delayed on Wednesday after a Bloomberg system outage prevented traders from participating. In a statement the UK’s Debt Management Office (DMO) said: “Due to the ongoing market-wide Bloomberg system issues, the bidding window for this morning’s auction of 4 per cent Treasury Gilt 2031 is being extended.” A [...]
Inflation set to ramp up after ‘Awful April’ Economics Inflation is expected to have risen above three per cent last month in data which will reflect the costly impacts of what has been dubbed ‘Awful April’ due to tax rises and bill hikes. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted inflation to come in at 3.3 per cent, a sharp spike from March when [...]
Shell weighs BP takeover bid May 5, 2025 Shell is reportedly weighing a takeover bid for struggling rival BP in what could lead to one of the biggest deals in the history of the oil and gas industry. The oil major is understood to have appointed advisers in recent weeks to discuss the feasibility of a move for BP, which could lead to [...]
EU reset: Government face backlash on meat and dairy regulatory alignment April 15, 2025 The government is facing a backlash over reported plans to align with EU regulations on meat and dairy products. UK officials have suggested to European Union (EU) counterparts that Britain could be willing to accept alignment with EU rules on fresh meat and dairy, and to accept oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), [...]
British Steel: ‘All options on table’ over nationalising Scunthorpe, Starmer says April 8, 2025 The UK is keeping “all options on the table” over the potential nationalisation of the Chinese-owned British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister insisted he understood the importance of the plant, which is Britain’s last remaining steelmaker, in a Q&A with the House of Commons Liaison Committee, after its [...]
UK services and composite PMIs underwhelm economists April 3, 2025 The UK service sector saw a “modest expansion” in March but economists overestimated S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) readings for the month. S&P Global’s latest composite PMI reading, which takes an average of manufacturing and services output for the month, came in at 51.5. The figure points to a slight expansion in UK output [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves’ popularity nears Kwasi Kwarteng levels March 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ popularity rating as Chancellor has neared Kwasi Kwarteng levels after the mini-Budget, following the Spring Statement on Wednesday. She set out £14bn in welfare and spending cuts in the House of Commons, including a £4.8bn squeeze on benefits, to restore the £9.9bn headroom she had at the Autumn Budget, which would otherwise have [...]
Bloomberg breaks record for the largest private donation to London Museum March 18, 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies has broken the record for the largest private donation to the London Museum, with a gift of £20m and a world-renowned collection of Roman artefacts. London Museum will use the money to aid its move from 150 London Wall to Smithfield market, which is currently scheduled for completion in 2026. The artefacts, which [...]
Ministers must get a grip of broken benefits system, Reeves insists March 15, 2025 Rachel Reeves has doubled down on the need to reform the welfare system, insisting the government must “get a grip” on it amid concerns from Labour MPs about the impact of expected cuts to the budget. The benefits system is “broken” and is “not working for anyone”, the Chancellor said. Backbench Labour MPs have made [...]