UK-Gulf states trade deal on the horizon May 30, 2025 The UK is poised to sign a trade agreement with the Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to be worth as much as £1.6bn, with hopes that the value will rise by an additional £8.6bn a year [...]
Is the disposable vapes ban going to make any difference in the UK? May 30, 2025 In 2021, vapes went from a small-scale smoking alternative to dominate the UK’s nicotine market. Now, about half of the vape market is set to become illegal when the government’s disposable vape ban comes into force on Sunday. It’s part of the government’s plan to create a “smoke-free” generation, which will see disposable vapes banned, [...]
Property transactions falter despite rise in number of homes available May 30, 2025 Homebuying in the UK slowed in April after the end of the stamp duty holiday, despite an uptick in the number of properties available. The number of UK residential transactions in April 2025 was 64,680, 28 per cent lower than April 2024 and 64 per cent lower than March 2025, according to official statistics. Estate agents attributed [...]
Vets complaints service for pet owners ‘completely unjust’, says consumer body May 30, 2025 Britain’s pet owners are being underserved by the vet industry’s complaints service, according to a leading consumer body. Which? found that the complaints process is “often stacked against pet owners”, with owners put off making a complaint and limited help for those that do. The findings come amid a watchdog probe into the vet sector, [...]
Civil service cull can save £5bn a year May 30, 2025 Civil service cull can save £5bn a year, Policy Exchange says Cutting 80,000 civil service jobs could save the Treasury as much as £5bn pounds a year, a new report has found, as the government seeks to rein in spending in a bid to stick to its fiscal rules. The research by Westminster think tank [...]
Aircraft orders plummet amid US tariff uncertainty May 30, 2025 Commercial aircraft orders plummeted last month as Donald Trump’s tariffs piled pressure on the aerospace industry. There were 19 aircraft orders in April, a 75 per cent year-on-year decline and the lowest for the month since the pandemic. The latest data from ADS, the UK trade association, is the first reported since the introduction of [...]
Cyber attacks: What do hackers do with your data? May 30, 2025 A wave of cyber attacks across the UK has left hundreds of thousands of Brits’ personal information vulnerable to online criminals. M&S admitted that hackers stole personal data – but not payments information or passwords – in a cyber attack at the end of April, while recent breaches at the NHS and Legal Aid resulted [...]
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary qualifies for monster €100m bonus May 29, 2025 Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary is set for a monster €100m (£84.2m) bonus after the Irish airline’s shares hit a key performance target. Shares in Ryanair closed at €23.74 on Thursday, marking the 28th consecutive day the stock has closed above €21 – the target O’Leary was set as part of a 2019 incentive scheme. [...]
Is Asda’s ambitious turnaround starting to bear fruit? May 29, 2025 Asda has had a tumultuous year and a half. Since January 2024, the supermarket giant has undergone numerous leadership changes, IT issues, and sales woes. Its troubles began back in 2021, when it was bought in a debt-fuelled takeover by the billionaire Issa brothers – who have since departed the board – and private equity firm [...]
Asda ‘making good progress’ despite sales continuing to fall May 29, 2025 The chairman of Asda has said the supermarket giant is “making good progress” despite its sales continuing to fall. The Leeds-headquartered chain has reported a revenue – excluding fuel – of £5bn for the three months to 31 March, 2025, the first quarter of its financial year. The total is a 5.9 per cent decrease [...]
