Businesses face billions of extra costs as wages and tax to rise March 30, 2025 UK businesses are set to face a multibillion-pound wave of higher costs this week as higher wages and tax increases come into force. Retail and hospitality bosses have warned that higher labour costs and taxes are set to push up prices for customers across the UK. A raft of measures linked to the Labour government’s [...]
Elon Musk sells X to his own xAI for £25.5bn in all-stock deal March 29, 2025 Elon Musk has sold social media site X to his own xAI artificial intelligence company in a $33bn (£25.5bn) all-stock deal, the billionaire announced. Both companies are privately held, which means they are not required to disclose their finances to the public. Mr Musk said in a post on X that the move will “unlock immense potential by blending [...]
Welby failed to act on child abuse allegations as scale was ‘overwhelming’ March 29, 2025 Former archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he was “overwhelmed” by the number of child sex abuse allegations he was informed of. Dr Welby resigned in November after a report revealed he did not adequately follow up on reports about serial abuser John Smyth, who was heavily involved with the Church of England. The report [...]
Union highlights claims of staff shortages at railway ticket offices March 29, 2025 A rail union is to hold a series of protests highlighting claims of staff shortages at ticket offices. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT ) said there was understaffing at a number of stations on the West Coast mainline served by Avanti. The RMT said plans to close ticket offices across the country were [...]
City calls for ISA reform to promote investment culture March 29, 2025 City AM spoke to experts who expect any changes to ISAs to be announced in this year’s Autumn Budget.
US tariffs: UK ‘reserves right to respond’ after carmakers meeting March 28, 2025 The UK reserves the right to respond to American tariffs, Sir Keir Starmer has said, after US President Donald Trump’s decision to slap a 25 per cent import tax on cars. The Prime Minister said his government was involved in ongoing discussions with the White House aimed at “mitigating the impact” of any levies but [...]
No10 communications chief to quit after nine months March 28, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer’s director of communications, Matthew Doyle, is set to quit No10 Downing Street after nine months in the job. Doyle, who served as the Prime Minister’s communications chief in opposition, is understood to be stepping down immediately after feeling he had stabilised the government’s communications strategy after a rocky first few months in [...]
Thames Water’s finance chief quits as firm continues trying to find a buyer March 28, 2025 Thames Water’s finance boss has quit midway through a key restructuring of the heavily indebted utility giant. Chief financial officer Alastair Cochran told the firm that he was stepping down on Friday morning. His sudden departure comes as Thames Water continues to try to find a buyer for the company to help steady its finances. Thames Water is England’s biggest water firm, with about [...]
‘A failed operator’: CrossCountry repeatedly missed own performance targets despite cutting services March 28, 2025 Struggling rail operator CrossCountry has repeatedly breached its own performance targets despite cutting services late last year as part of a recovery plan, City AM understands. The former Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, approved proposals by the operator to run a reduced timetable for three months between August and November after its performance was labelled “dire.” [...]
Nigel Farage criticises DEI and says men ‘sacrifice’ more for jobs than women March 28, 2025 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has criticised diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and argued men “sacrifice their family lives” for their careers more than women. Speaking at an event in Parliament, the MP for Clacton-on-Sea argued that more men used to be at the top of boardrooms because “the country was white men”. Addressing [...]
