Trainline has ‘growth potential’ despite national rival, says UBS April 15, 2025 Trainline will continue to grow despite concerns surrounding the government’s rail policy, according to UBS. Plans for a rival national rail ticket website have caused shares in Trainline to dip more than 30 per cent this year to date – despite continuing strong demand. UBS said that although “market concerns” remained, recent data indicated “continued [...]
EU reset: Government face backlash on meat and dairy regulatory alignment April 15, 2025 The government is facing a backlash over reported plans to align with EU regulations on meat and dairy products. UK officials have suggested to European Union (EU) counterparts that Britain could be willing to accept alignment with EU rules on fresh meat and dairy, and to accept oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), [...]
Tax return: Keir Starmer paid more than £54,000 last year April 15, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has paid more than £54,000 in tax from 2023-2024, it has been revealed, as book royalties and interest on savings pushed the PM’s income into the top tax bracket. The Prime Minister, who published his tax return for the first time since Labour took power, paid £54,718 in tax, according to the [...]
UK employers cut jobs as tax hikes bite April 15, 2025 High wage growth persisted in the three months to February, official data has shown, but a rapid drop in payrolled employment pointed to concerning trends in the labour market. Annual growth in average weekly earnings excluding bonuses hit 5.9 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday. But separate tax data showed [...]
‘State of despondency’ as tax raid sets up ‘harrowing year’ for firms April 15, 2025 Business leaders’ worries over Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes have plunged corporate confidence into “ominous territory”, a leading business association has warned. The Chancellor launched a multi-billion pound tax raid on British businesses in the Budget last October, and a new report has suggested that the impact of the hikes is continuing to weigh on [...]
Grid connection for clean energy firms to be fast-tracked, ministers say April 15, 2025 Grid connections for businesses delivering clean energy are to be prioritised, ministers have said. The government has said so-called ‘zombie projects’ which hold up the queue for National Grid connectivity are set to be axed from the waiting list. While industries including data centres and AI, wind energy and solar projects will be accelerated for [...]
China’s out to destroy our steel industry? We can do that on our own. April 15, 2025 The two remaining furnaces at the Scunthorpe steel plant, known as Anne and Bess, have blasted through plenty of crises over the course of their long lives and now, thanks to an emergency effort by ministers to source enough materials to keep them fed, it seems they’ll roar for a few more years. But it [...]
Why the UK can’t get a grip of its energy crisis April 14, 2025 A months-long cost-of-living crisis, state bailouts of consumer energy bills, endless planning rows, judicial interventions and now the near-collapse of Britain’s only manufacturer of virgin steel all show different sides to the UK’s ongoing energy crisis. Its dependency on foreign imports, poor planning of infrastructure and lack of control over soaring bills means the extent [...]
British Steel: No 10 won’t rule out future Chinese involvement in steel making April 14, 2025 No 10 has declined to rule out future Chinese involvement in steel making, amid a race to keep the British Steel furnaces alight in Scunthorpe. The UK government has now said it is “confident” it will beat a race against time to keep the site running after taking control of the plant from Chinese owners [...]
Former Tory MP among 15 facing charges related to election gambling April 14, 2025 Former Tory MP Craig Williams is one of 15 people who have been charged after bets were placed on the timing of the 2024 general election, the Gambling Commission has revealed. Williams was among a number of people linked to the Conservative Party reported to have made bets on the election date, which was called [...]