London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barnet? Politics Labour faces a battle in defending Barnet in the local elections after recent surges in council tax and a flurry of defections since 2022. Barnet stands as a real test for both the Conservative and Labour party. What was traditionally a safe seat for the Tories flipped red in 2022 as Labour won the borough [...]
Small businesses ditch green agenda as ‘survival’ becomes priority Business Small businesses are ditching green finance initiatives as “ensuring survival” becomes a bigger focus for firms amid the pressures of rising costs. The latest business growth tracker from Natwest showed prioritising of sustainability was at an all time low among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by the end of 2025. Just 30 per cent of [...]
Budget: Octopus boss Greg Jackson hails cuts to energy bills Energy Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson has hailed the cuts to energy bills announced in today’s Budget, as the Chancellor slashed multiple renewable levies. Jackson welcomed the energy bill cuts as a “positive step” as Rachel Reeves described energy costs as “one of the greatest drivers of the rising cost of living”. Reeves said she will scrap [...]
How the banking net zero fantasy ran out of gas August 20, 2025 Over the past year, the world’s biggest banks‘ net zero enthusiasm has quickly and quietly dried up. Top lenders have backtracked, diluted or outright abandoned their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. The return of President Donald Trump has been highlighted as a turning point for green finance with firms across the financial industry turning sour [...]
Investors should steer clear of Ed Miliband’s clean energy auction August 7, 2025 Labour’s upcoming AR7 renewable energy auction risks locking in higher energy costs for decades, as political support for net zero falters and public resistance to green subsidies grows, says Maurice Cousins Today applications open for the government’s latest renewable energy auction, Allocation Round 7 (AR7). In Whitehall, it is just another technocratic acronym. But for [...]