UK consumers cut spending amid wider economic nerves Economics UK consumers’ debit and credit card spending slumped in 2025 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic as wider economic nerves knocked confidence. Card spending fell 0.2 per cent in the last 12 months, according to Barclays, a sharp contrast to the 1.6 per cent growth recorded in 2024. Just a quarter of British [...]
Strix Group boss exits and dividend axed after share price plunges Sales The boss of Strix Group, a key player in safety controls for appliances, has departed following a plummet in the firm’s share price as macroeconomic pressures weighed. Mark Bartlett will step down from his role at Strix after nearly two decades at the company, one of which was spent in the top job. Shares were [...]
Santander: UK businesses shift away from China as tensions flare Economics UK businesses are moving away from China as risks mount amid flaring geopolitical tensions. Over half of firms are taking steps to bring their supply chains closer to home, with one in five having already relocated their network closer to the UK. The moves come amid questions over China’s dominance in the supply chain, with [...]
Autumn Budget: JCB boss calls on Reeves not to do anything ‘daft’ October 22, 2025 The chief executive of JCB has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves not to do anything “daft” in her Autumn Budget which would deter inward investment. Graeme Macdonald, who leads the Staffordshire-headquartered manufacturing giant under chairman Lord Anthony Bamford, said he’s “not optimistic” about the Budget next month, adding that Reeves is “definitely” going to raise [...]
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Act now or five million jobs will be lost October 9, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe has called on Europe’s leaders to save the continent’s chemicals industry or risk losing millions of jobs. The founder and chairman of Ineos has urged politicians to make an “eleventh-hour intervention” at what he has described as a “moment of reckoning” for the industry. Sir Jim, who is also known as a [...]
Eurosummer lives on as retail investors flock to the continent September 10, 2025 Turbulence created by US tariffs is continuing to be a boon for European investment, with retail investors flocking to the continent, writes Susannah Streeter.
Aga Rangemaster cuts jobs and raises prices as UK demand falls September 2, 2025 Aga Rangemaster has continued to cut jobs as it battles falling demand in the UK and prepares for the rising costs from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The business, which is headquartered near Nottingham, has said it is raising prices in order to attempt to offset the increased costs from US tariffs but that their [...]
Rachel Reeves told to ‘get out of the way’ ahead of Autumn Budget August 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told to “let businesses get on with it and get out of the way” ahead of delivering her second Autumn Budget in the coming months. A group of 1,500 private business leaders surveyed by KPMG said the Chancellor should focus on promoting higher wages and lower costs for companies. They [...]
Jaguar Land Rover: Trump’s tariffs cost car maker millions August 8, 2025 Jaguar Land Rover has revealed how much US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have impacted its finances during the first three months of its financial year. The car maker has confirmed that its revenue in the three months to 30 June, 2025, fell by 9.2 per cent to £6.6bn. Its pre-tax profit was also slashed by [...]
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 [...]