Housing for servicepeople should be ‘defence policy priority’, Tories say June 18, 2025 Housing for servicepeople should be a “defence policy priority”, the Conservatives have said as they unveiled their new defence strategy. On Friday, Iran launched an attack on Israel in retaliation to Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump has refused to rule out US involvement, with the caveat that he is “not [...]
Danish bakery Ole & Steen brews up success with buns on demand June 18, 2025 International bakery Ole & Steen has reported a double-digit uplift in sales, boosted by online deliveries to business and consumers. Turnover grew five per cent last year after a strategy revamp, with revenue increasing to £36m from £34m in 2023. UK managing director Graham Hollinshead said the company has “firmly re-established [its] position as London’s [...]
House prices slump in April: ‘Supply is beginning to outweigh demand’ June 18, 2025 UK house prices fell in April as affordability issues constrain demand following the end of the stamp duty holiday in March. House prices fell 2.7 per cent month on month in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Prices increased by 3.5 per cent to £265,000 in the 12 months to April 2025, [...]
Speedy Hire swings to loss amid depot closures June 18, 2025 Speedy Hire has slumped into the red as it grapples with a challenging economic backdrop and tax hikes announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. The London-listed firm, an equipment hire specialist, swung to a pre-tax loss of £1.5m in the year ended 31 March, 2025, down from gains of £5.1m the prior 12 months. [...]
HS2 faces two more years of delay amid ‘litany of failures’ June 18, 2025 Ministers will delay HS2 by at least another two years and outline a “litany of failures” which have led to costs on the project spiralling out of control, in the latest storm facing Britain’s biggest infrastructure project. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will present the findings of two scathing reports into the project on Wednesday afternoon, [...]
AO World: Record earnings after Music Magpie acquisition June 18, 2025 AO World has reported better-than-expected revenue growth after its acquisition of Music Magpie and an expansion in its membership scheme helped boost the figures. The electrical retailers told markets this morning that life-for-like adjusted profit before tax grew 32 per cent to £45m in the year ended March 31, above the top end of its [...]
Council finances in dire straits, MPs say June 18, 2025 Councils could run out of money in 2026 due to unsustainable book balancing methods, according to parliamentarians. The hike in national insurance contributions (NIC), combined with spending on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), has squeezed local council finances, a new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has found. Despite Reform’s DOGE campaign, they [...]
Bolt vs Lime: Uber rival to launch e-bikes in London June 18, 2025 Bolt has unveiled plans to introduce electric bikes in London this summer, challenging Lime’s near-monopoly in the capital. The Estonian ride-hailer, which is the largest e-scooter and bike provider in Europe, will launch its London service in August under close supervision from Transport for London (TfL) and local councils. The move makes Bolt the first [...]
Reeves to invest billions in a new housing bank for UK builders June 17, 2025 The government has announced plans to create a new national housing bank to encourage private investment and boost housebuilders. It says the bank, which will provide £16bn of new public investment, will unlock over £53bn of private investment over the next decade and help to build hundreds of thousands of homes. The £16bn investment includes £10.5bn [...]
MP to take Thames Water to Supreme Court over restructuring plan June 17, 2025 A Liberal Democrat MP will take a case against Thames Water’s restructuring to the Supreme Court. Charlie Maynard, MP for Witney, was among a group which included the utility’s secondary creditors, who opposed a £3bn emergency loan agreement earlier this year. Thames Water has been battling to stave off special administration over the last year [...]
