Burnham to announce new publicly-owned grid operator September 29, 2026 Andy Burnham is expected to announce a new publicly-owned body which will invest in the UK’s electricity grid in an attempt to bring down Britain’s sky-high energy costs. The Prime Minister is tipped to unveil Great British Grid, which will speed up connections to the grid by driving up competition for projects, during his Labour [...]
Andy Burnham can’t treat Heathrow expansion as a local planning issue September 29, 2026 Has Andy Burnham’s commitment to devolution morphed into a convenient excuse not to lead? I ask, because he seems to have excused himself from the debate about a critical £50bn national infrastructure project: Heathrow’s third runway. The project has been debated since the 1980s but officially kicked off in 2003 when Labour’s Alistair Darling, then [...]
Labour will learn to love deregulation September 29, 2026 The Labour government I served in made advances in planning reform and curbing regulator overreach. But those efforts should be seen as a first step, not job done. Not least because there is barely a great progressive cause that does not now require deregulation to advance, says Alan Lockey Warm words for business are a [...]
Healey: We don’t have as much money as we did under New Labour September 28, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has warned Labour members that the government does not have available funds to spend more on public services. In his address to party activists, Healey said Tony Blair’s government in the late 1990s and early 2000s had more flexibility with public finances given higher growth rates and lower amounts of debt. The [...]
‘Uncharted territory’: UK economy facing shocks as diesel and borrowing costs surge September 28, 2026 The UK economy entered “uncharted territory” on Monday battling an assortment of financial pressures as fears intensified ahead of the next Budget. Diesel costs surged to a record high of 199.18p per litre marking the latest energy shock on the UK economy. Stations were registered as charging 199.18p per litre, according to the RAC. The [...]
‘Resilience or reliance’ – Tech chiefs urge Burnham to spend £20bn on ‘sovereign AI’ September 28, 2026 British tech bosses have called on the government to commit more than £20bn to sovereign AI infrastructure, warning the UK risks becoming dependent on foreign technology in one of the most important industries of the coming decades. Senior figures from BT, Telefónica Tech, Leonardo, HPE, Kainos and Sopra Steria are among the signatories to an [...]
Miliband: ‘We cannot leave it to corporations’ as UK takes on Big Tech over AI September 28, 2026 Ed Miliband has vowed Britain will use its G20 presidency next year to push for global rules on AI, warning governments “cannot leave it to corporations” to police the technology. The foreign secretary said the economic potential of AI was “inspiring” but warnings from the companies developing the technology meant governments needed to act. “The [...]
Aldi says rival supermarkets pushing up prices as shoppers feel pinch September 28, 2026 The boss of discount grocer Aldi has accused its rivals of driving growth by raising food prices, as the supermarket committed to fending off “persistent” price inflation. Giles Hurley, chief executive of the UK’s fourth-biggest supermarket, hit out at the grocer’s competitors, insisting that Aldi is the only operator whose prices have fallen year-on-year. He [...]
Wealth advisers battle client fears as Budget tax speculation grows September 28, 2026 Wealth advisers are being hit with an influx of questions over tax changes as speculation over what may be announced in next month’s Autumn Budget continues to grow. Wealth and asset managers across the City are reporting a surge in conversations with affluent clients who are becoming worried about potential tax changes which could affect [...]
JCB billionaire names youngest son chair in end to succession saga September 28, 2026 The billionaire boss of JCB has appointed his youngest son co-chairman, ending a succession saga at the top of the digger manufacturer. The appointment of George Bamford, Lord Bamford’s third son, to co-chair from deputy chairman, ends a long-running race to take the reins of one of Britain’s most recognisable companies. Jo Bamford, the elder [...]