Autumn Budget: Reeves splurges £12bn on welfare as two-child benefit cap ditched Economics The UK’s fiscal watchdog has forecast welfare spending to soar over the next few years after the Labour government ditched plans to reform the welfare state. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which accidentally published its report before the Budget, has said welfare spending will rise by £12bn in the fiscal year 2029-30, when compared [...]
Luton Airport chair: Green targets for expansion ‘not easy’ to meet Strict green targets for Luton Airport’s expansion plans will “not be easy” to meet, its new chair has said, even as he praised the economic importance of the project. Ministers rubber-stamped proposals to ramp up capacity at Luton earlier this year, shortly before backing a massive Universal Studios theme park and resort in nearby Bedford. [...]
Labour’s welfare U-turn spikes fears of tax hikes Economics The Labour government has confirmed its latest U-turn with a significant retreat on welfare reform dealing a crushing blow to Rachel Reeves’ waning fiscal headroom. The bill initially targeted restrictions on personal independence payments (PIP) and limited the sickness-related element of universal credit in a bid to shed £5bn from the welfare budget by 2030. Under [...]
Universal to open Alton Towers and Thorpe Park rival April 9, 2025 Universal is to open a new theme park in the UK which will become a major rival to the likes to Alton Towers and Thorpe Park after a deal was agreed. The US entertainment giant has received the backing of the government and the local council for the project which will see a theme park [...]
Universal: Deal nears to open Alton Towers rival April 7, 2025 A deal which would see Universal open a major new theme park in the UK to rival Alton Towers could be announced in the coming weeks, according to reports. The Financial Times has said ministers are nearing an agreement with Comcast’s Universal Destinations and Experiences (UDX) to develop a 476-acre site near Bedford. Plans for [...]
Working Title: Production giant behind new Bridget Jones film ‘significantly impacted’ by Hollywood strikes July 15, 2024 The UK arm of Working Title, the production giant behind Lord of the Rings, Love Actually and British cult classics Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, has weathered a challenging year after being "significantly impacted" by the Hollywood writers strike, according to newly-filed documents.
Universal eyeing Alton Towers with new UK theme park and £50bn boost June 26, 2024 A proposed Universal theme park could provide a £50bn boost to the UK economy and be open 365 days a year.
Frontier: AIM-listed developer wins rights to make third Jurassic World video game May 9, 2024 Video game developer Frontier Developments has signed a licence with Universal to produce the third Jurassic World video game.
Music industry heavy hitters Sony and Universal join forces with artists including Katy Perry to combat AI exploitation April 5, 2024 With the rise of AI-generated music, the music industry is worried about the erosion of human creativity and fair compensation.