Unemployment is rising and top bosses want to do something about it March 25, 2026 Business giants have come together to find ways of hiring more people currently out of work as private sector bosses move to play a more active role in improving the state of the UK labour market. Company chiefs from the likes of BT, Shell, Marks & Spencer and Pret have joined a new, non-governmental ‘Employer [...]
Revolut and Nationwide sharpen swords in battle to bank Britain March 25, 2026 The claws are out in the battle to bank Britain and in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at the latest shots fired from Revolut and Nationwide. If you had ‘Graham Norton sitting on a horse’ on your banking bingo card, congratulations. The BBC chat show host has swapped his famous sofa with [...]
UK economy facing ‘pronounced recession’ March 24, 2026 The war in the Middle East is “stalling growth” in the UK economy, fresh data has shown, as economists warned that a “pronounced recession” will come if energy prices stay high. A monthly survey of business activity across the country has suggested that there was a slowdown in output as well as a fall in [...]
Reeves pledges targeted support as she blasts Liz Truss’ £40bn energy bailout March 24, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves hit out at a Tory government-era energy support package that cost around £40bn in a further indication that any Labour scheme would only be for the poorest households. In an address to the House of Commons, Reeves said there were “contingency plans” being drafted for different scenarios where energy prices stay higher [...]
Starmer vows to use ‘every lever’ to protect Brits from damage to UK economy March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use “every lever” to prevent households from being hit by higher energy prices amid growing fears the Iran war is wreaking havoc on the UK economy. On Monday morning, the Prime Minister suggested an emergency Cobra meeting between the most senior government ministers and the Bank of England governor [...]
Ministers are sacrificing growth for votes, say top business bosses March 23, 2026 Government ministers have undermined the UK’s long-term economic interests by becoming “trapped” into making poor short-term policy decisions to appease voters, Britain’s top business bosses have warned. The group of corporate leaders, which include Natwest chair Rick Haythornthwaite, Heathrow chair Philip Jansen and Barratt Redrow chair Caroline Silver, said successive governments have failed to prioritise [...]
Borrowing costs soar to post-financial crisis high in blow to Reeves March 20, 2026 UK government borrowing costs have soared to their highest level since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, with markets frightened by the state of public finances in the face of another global price shock. Gilt yields have inched up over the course of the week, with the ten-year gilt yield topping 4.9 per cent on [...]
Reeves hit by spike in government borrowing March 20, 2026 UK government borrowing rose by more than expected in February, it has been revealed, adding a strain on public finances as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces trouble ahead with deciding the government’s response to the war in Iran. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said that the government borrowed £14bn, with economists having predicted the [...]
One in five founders expect to leave UK in next 12 months March 19, 2026 A fifth of British entrepreneurs expect to leave the country in the next 12 months as confidence in the government sinks to a new low. Fresh data from the Entrepreneurs Network has revealed the growing fears of a ‘brain drain’ could be set to escalate with just over one in five founders pencilling in plans [...]
Sadiq Khan urges Labour to back return to EU March 19, 2026 Sadiq Khan has called for Labour to campaign for the UK to rejoin the European Union, days after Rachel Reeves delivered one of the most Europhile speeches since Brexit. The London Mayor said his party should move beyond discussions about access to the single market or joining the customs union by 2030, and instead move [...]