Rachel Reeves considers income tax hike and national insurance cut October 30, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is eyeing up a simultaneous 2p hike to income tax and 2p cut to national insurance, it has been reported, in an effort to raise some £6bn. Reeves is considering the controversial tax hike, according to The Telegraph, which would breach the Labour Party manifesto and risk infuriating voters. It would also [...]
Thousands of jobs at risk as Petrofac appoints administrators October 27, 2025 North Sea oil and energy services group Petrofac has appointed administrators, putting thousands of jobs at risk. The company said it took the decision after one of its customers, TenneT, terminated its relationship over a 2GW energy programme in the Netherlands. “Having carefully assessed its options, and the impact of TenneT’s decision… the directors of [...]
Petroineos: Sir Jim Ratcliffe-backed energy giant loses $250m October 24, 2025 Petroineos, the energy trading company backed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, lost $250m (£187.5m) in 2024 as it slumped into the red for the first time since 2020, it has been revealed. The Jersey-based business has reported the pre-tax loss after posting a profit of $30m in 2023. The results for the previous financial year were [...]
Has the wind shifted on Net Zero? October 2, 2025 Once upon a time the promise of Net Zero enjoyed such universal support that a Tory government signed the UK’s Net Zero pledge into law. Today, the Tories say they’d scrap it – while alarm bells are ringing as the costs of the policy become clearer. In June 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May passed a [...]
Change windfall tax to make £137bn by 2050, Chancellor told September 1, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been urged to reform the windfall tax in a move that could boost the economy by £137bn by 2050. Ahead of the start of its conference in Aberdeen this week, trade body Offshore Energy UK (OEUK) released a report claiming replacing the energy profits levy next year with a profits-based mechanism [...]
Trump hikes India tariffs to 50 per cent for fuelling Russian ‘war machine’ August 6, 2025 President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India after the country’s government imported Russian Federation Oil. In an executive order signed on Wednesday, the White House said it would slap Indian imports with the fresh levy taking their overall rate to 50 per cent. The President warned on Tuesday he [...]
BP shares jump after oil major ups dividend and launches buyback August 5, 2025 BP shares jumped on Tuesday despite the firm recording a hit to profit and revenue in the first half of 2025 as weaker oil prices and lower trading performance weighed on takings. The London-listed oil major posted total revenue of $95.6bn (£72bn), down from 2.7 per cent from the same previous last year, while profit [...]
Shell: FTSE 100 giant takes profit beat amid weak oil prices July 31, 2025 FTSE 100 juggernaut Shell posted a dramatic hit to earnings in the second quarter amid a volatile period for oil and gas prices. The London-listed oil major recorded $4.26bn (£3.21bn) marking a 32 per cent fall from the second quarter of 2024, where the firm pocketed $6.29bn. But Shell managed to scrape past an LSEG-compiled [...]
Shell: FTSE 100 giant in line for profit hit after oil woes July 26, 2025 Shell is expected to report lower profits for recent months as the energy giant continues to battle oil price volatility and strives to return cash to its shareholders. The FTSE 100-listed company is predicted to report adjusted earnings of 3.74 billion US dollars (£2.78 billion) for the second quarter, when it publishes its latest figures [...]
BP appoints former CRH boss as chair July 21, 2025 BP has appointed a successor for chair Helge Lund, who announced plans to step down in April amid growing shareholder pressure. Albert Manifold, the former chief executive of building materials group CRH, will take over as chair of the oil major in October after a one-month stint as chair-elect. Manifold led CRH for ten years [...]