London Waterloo: Disruption after major signalling failure July 21, 2025 A major signalling failure at London Waterloo has caused severe disruption, with trains unable to use 14 platforms at the station, according to a rail company. South Western Railway (SWR) asked customers not to travel on its services on Monday morning in a statement posted on social media. Passengers have been told that they will [...]
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 [...]
Ryanair profit more than doubles as fares jump July 21, 2025 Quarterly profit at Ryanair has more than doubled after the Irish airline benefitted from higher air fares and a later Easter. Profit after tax rose 128 per cent to €820m (£710m) over the three months ended June, alongside a 21 per cent increase in ticket prices. Revenue rose by a fifth to €4.34bn as the [...]
Planning permissions for home improvements falls to lowest level in a decade July 21, 2025 Planning permissions for home renovations has plummeted as the low consumer confidence permeates the construction industry. Consents for developments in England totalled 151,177 in the 12 months to March, 27 per cent below the 10-year average, according to data from Savills. This is despite a 24 per cent uplift in housing transactions as buyers rushed [...]
HMRC cracks down on tax-avoiding restaurants and takeaways July 21, 2025 HMRC has put the restaurant sector firmly in its sights as it tries to hit ambitious targets set by the government. It has ‘named and shamed’ 98 restaurant businesses in a single day, according to accountants Hacker Young. The firms owe a collective £10.4m in unpaid tax and HMRC has issued them with a total of [...]
Environment Secretary pledges to halve sewage pollution by 2030 July 19, 2025 The Environment Secretary has pledged to cut sewage pollution from water companies in half by 2030 compared to 2024 levels. Steve Reed will announce the target as he speaks to the media on Sunday morning. The government said it marks the first time ministers have set a clear target on reducing sewage pollution to which [...]
Next boss Lord Wolfson in calls for ‘renewed centre right’ July 19, 2025 Lord Wolfson, the boss of retail giant Next, has called for a “renewed centre right” which champions the free markets’ importance in raising living standards. Wolfson, a Conservative life peer and prominent supporter of Brexit, argued a “commitment to liberty” should form the basis of the right-wing movement in the UK. “This classical liberalism stands [...]
Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Murdoch over reporting on Epstein ties July 19, 2025 President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Friday against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, a day after the newspaper published a story reporting on ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami. It seeks at least $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages. Mr Trump promised a [...]
Reckitt sells majority stake in Air Wick and Cillit Bang arm July 18, 2025 Reckitt Benckiser has agreed to sell its Essential Home business to private equity investor Advent International for $4.8bn (£3.6bn). Essential Home includes the brands Air Wick, Calgon, Woolite and Cillit Bang. The FTSE 100 giant, which will retain a 30 per cent equity stake in the business, has been reshaping its business to focus on “11 high-growth, high-margin [...]
Tiktok gives retailers a headache with boom in returns culture July 18, 2025 Retailers are facing a conundrum. Their customers are searching for and buying clothes via Tiktok and Instagram, but those same social media customers are increasingly less likely to keep the clothes they buy. A surge in the number of clothes sent back to retailers has caused issues with both costs and with environmental goals, but [...]
