Nuclear deterrent strategy ‘no longer fit for purpose’ Politics The UK’s nuclear deterrent strategy is outdated and a lack of expertise has left the country with an “awful lot of ground to make up”, a report backed by the former head of the civil service has warned. Lord Simon Case, who was cabinet secretary until shortly after Labour returned to government, has joined academics [...]
Babcock boss bows out after shares grow sixfold Business The boss of Babcock is to step down after presiding over a sixfold increase in the company’s share price during his five-year tenure. David Lockwood, who joined the defence giant as its chief executive in September 2020, will step down from the company’s board at the end of the year, the firm revealed on Friday. [...]
Reform government would partially nationalise Rolls-Royce through ‘strategic stake’ Politics A Reform government would partially nationalise Rolls-Royce as a quid pro quo for helping it ramp up its small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear programme “as fast as it possibly can”, its policy chief has said. In a wide-ranging interview setting out his party’s plans for the UK economy, Zia Yusuf told City AM that Reform [...]
Britain’s nuclear lag could cost its AI crown December 10, 2025 Britain’s AI boom is running straight into an energy wall, and nuclear power was supposed to act as its crutch to get around it. Instead, the government has hit pause, just as data centre demand is set to explode, leading investors wondering whether the UK risks talking itself out of its opportunity. Recent analysis from [...]
Starmer denies misleading public as fresh row with OBR erupts December 1, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has denied accusations that Chancellor Rachel Reeves misled cabinet colleagues – and the country – over the state of public finances in the lead-up to the Budget as tax rumours hinged on the belief that there was a £30bn shortfall in the fiscal headroom. In a press conference at a nursery [...]
Britain can’t grow while we’re spending £700m to save the life of a fish November 26, 2025 With measly growth and energy among the most expensive in the developed world, Britain's got bigger fish to fry than sealife conservation.
Labour to hold fire on ‘fish disco’ nuclear power reform due to ‘legal advice’ November 25, 2025 The Labour government is set to hold fire on pushing through sweeping reforms to nuclear energy due to a legal adviser’s concerns over the “UK’s environmental, trade and human rights obligations”, it has been reported. The Innovate UK member John Fingleton published a damning report on red tape blocking the expansion of the country’s nuclear [...]
Rolls-Royce: FTSE 100 giant eyes major profit boost November 13, 2025 FTSE 100 giant Rolls-Royce said it expects profit for the full-year to be 26 per cent higher than the previous financial year after a hefty boost from its civil aerospace and defence divisions. The Derby-headquartered group is eyeing an operating profit of £3.1bn to £3.2bn after upgrading its earlier guidance of £2.7bn to £2.9bn. This [...]
Rolls-Royce: Losses widen at FTSE 100 giant’s SMR division October 6, 2025 The small nuclear reactor business owned by FTSE 100 giant Rolls-Royce lost £115m in 2024, it has been revealed. Rolls-Royce SMR, which is not yet revenue generating, has posted the higher losses after also making a deficit of £78m in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House have also shown that the division’s income from [...]
Explainer: Why are energy prices so high? October 2, 2025 Energy prices for consumers across the UK rose again this month. Ofgem, the energy regulator, set the maximum annual rate for an average household for gas and electricity at £1,755 until the end of the year. The cap is now over £600 higher than when it was first introduced in 2019. Under the cap, [...]