UK services sector in ‘fragile recovery’ as employment fears linger June 23, 2025 The UK services sector expanded in June, despite tax hikes and a drop in employment across the UK economy, new figures have suggested. The double whammy of President Trump’s tariffs and Chancellor Reeves’ tax increases in April lowered confidence levels among businesses, with official data showing the UK economy contracted by as much as 0.3 [...]
UK manufacturers look East as production hopes rise June 16, 2025 UK manufacturers are ditching President Trump’s United States and looking to find trading partners in Asia and the Middle East, according to a leading industry body. The US has fallen out of the top three preferred regions as a growth market for UK manufacturers, the first time since surveys started eleven years ago, Make UK [...]
Reeves mulls taxpayer-funded subsidy to cut manufacturers’ energy costs June 8, 2025 Rachel Reeves is looking at plans for a £1bn taxpayer-funded annual subsidy to bring down the energy costs for manufacturers after warnings the UK faced “rapid deindustrialisation” without intervention. The Chancellor is facing mounting pressure to lower energy costs for industry with fears high prices are holding back investment opportunities and stifling the country’s competitiveness. [...]
Reeves’ tax raids and tariff woes strain UK manufacturers June 2, 2025 British manufacturers continued to struggle in May, despite a surprise minor uptick, as tax hikes and tariffs weighed on firms. S&P Global’s latest PMI survey, which asks around 600 industrial companies about their performance, revealed manufacturers were still battling a tirade of challenges. The latest figure edged up to 46.4 in May, compared to 45.4 [...]
EU firms should move plants to UK to avoid tariff ‘flare ups’ May 27, 2025 European companies should urgently ramp up manufacturing capacity in Britain to avoid the worst effects of Donald Trump’s tariff regime, a top accountancy firm has said. According to Alex Altmann, head of the German desk at Lubbock Fine, the 10 per cent US import tariff agreed as part of newly inked UK-US trade pact has [...]
Jaguar Land Rover rakes in £2.5bn profit despite stalled sales May 13, 2025 Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has achieved its highest profit for a decade despite its sales stalling during its latest financial year. The Coventry-headquartered automotive giant has posted a profit of £2.5bn for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025. The latest total is up from the £2.2bn profit it achieved in its prior year – [...]
Ministers urged to seek tariff exemption for aircraft and engines May 2, 2025 Ministers have been urged to seek an exemption from US tariffs for civil aircraft and engine parts as the aerospace industry grapples with how to handle Donald Trump’s levies. ADS, which represents members of the UK’s aerospace supply chain, warned disruption to an already-under-pressure supply chain would impact aircraft deliveries in the coming months. Manufacturers [...]
Manufacturing edges towards year of decline amid ‘noticeable impact’ of tariffs May 1, 2025 UK manufacturing’s falling production levels show no signs of ending as the spectre of tariffs brings a “noticeable impact” on exporters’ sales, leading analysts have said. Firms have had to navigate through sticky inflation and high energy costs for the best part of three years as the UK’s weakened economy has failed to bounce back [...]
Jaguar Land Rover: Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten US growth April 7, 2025 The scale of the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs facing Jaguar Land Rover has been revealed as the luxury car maker outlined how many vehicles it exported to the US in the first three months of 2025. The Coventry-headquartered automotive giant saw wholesale volumes in its fourth quarter rise by 14.4 per cent in North [...]
4imprint reports uptick in profit but warns on ‘challenging near-term environment’ March 12, 2025 Promotional products manufacturer 4imprint has reported a 10 per cent jump in profit for 2024, outperforming the broader market and expanding its market share. The company told markets this morning that revenue rose three per cent year on year to £1.36bn, up from £1.32bn last year. The London-based firm said it received 2.12m orders in 2024, [...]