Britain is still paying a heavy price for Covid lockdowns Opinion Six years on from the first lockdown, Britain hasn’t returned to its pre-Covid path – instead becoming a high-tax, low-growth less free nation, says Alex Pugh A little over six years ago, 27m people watched UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tell them to “stay home” to tackle the spread of coronavirus. Johnson said you should [...]
Stalling Starling revs up Engine in rebrand Fintech Veteran of the UK fintech industry Starling has overhauled its brand with a fresh colour palette, a new slogan and even a new name. The digital lender announced last week it would drop the word “Bank” from its banking arm’s name in a move analysts have described as a “significant” step in its evolution. The [...]
Amazon Fresh to close all UK stores Tech Amazon is set to close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, just four years after launching its first supermarket outlet in London. It has been revealed that the tech giant plans to convert up to five of these locations into Whole Foods Market stores, a US organic food chain it acquired [...]
Former Reform MP to shut down firm after allegations dismissed September 1, 2025 A former Reform UK MP is shutting down one of the companies he was alleged to have not declared a financial interest in. James McMurdock, who now sits as the independent MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock in Essex, has applied to Companies House to have Gym Live Health & Fitness Limited struck off. The move [...]
Game over for Tomb Raider composer after Covid loan fraud conviction July 18, 2025 A video game composer and sound designer best know for his work on the Tomb Raider series has been jailed for fraudulently applying for a Covid loan. Peter Connelly, who is based in Durham, overstated his company’s turnover to obtain a second Bounce Back Loan of £37,500 in 2020 when businesses were only entitled to [...]
Randox: Losses widen at Covid-19 testing giant June 30, 2025 Losses have widened at Randox, which was one of the major Covid-19 testing providers in the UK, just a few years after raking in a profit of more than £200m. The Northern Ireland-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £51.8m for the year to 30 June, 2024. The loss comes after Randox posted a [...]
Easyhotel significantly slashes losses as return to profit nears May 21, 2025 Easyhotel significantly slashed its losses as it took a huge step towards returning to profit for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The London-headquartered budget hotel chain has posted a pre-tax loss of €1.8m (£1.5m) for 2024, down from the €10.5m (£8.9m) it reported for 2023. The latest pre-tax loss figure is the [...]
European court sides with NYT over requests for von der Leyen’s texts with Pfizer CEO May 14, 2025 European Court of Justice found that the Commission failed to explain why text messages with Pfizer should be kept from the public
Wilkinson Sword makes first profit since pandemic April 22, 2025 Wilkinson Sword surged back into the black for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The High Wycombe-headquartered business reported a pre-tax profit of £7.2m for the 12 months to 30 September, 2024. The profit is the first since Wilkinson Sword reported a £337,000 surplus in [...]
Preparing for war: What we didn’t learn from the pandemic March 12, 2025 The health service may not have been ready for the pandemic, but the rest of government was even less prepared. As we brace for a potential war, it’s time policy makers listen to that warning, says Joe Hill Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian general, famously asserted that war was the “continuation of politics by other [...]