Don’t blame shops for prices if leaders can’t stop inflation August 5, 2022 Inflation is soaring and the UK’s food and drink manufacturers are under incredible pressure. No one can remember such sustained, relentless price rises across all our inputs – everything, from energy and ingredients to transport and wages, is more expensive. With food price inflation now at 9.8 per cent, everyone is asking: how much further [...]
Next sales up as shoppers flock back to high street but firm warns of slowdown as inflation hits August 4, 2022 Next has shared elevated quarterly sales, suggesting that warm weather and the closure of high street rivals has driven shoppers into stores. In a trading update on Thursday, second quarter full price sales were boosted five per cent versus last year, some £50m ahead of the clothing firm’s previous guidance. Next attributed this to a [...]
Starmer’s brawl with the unions is a rite of passage for the Labour party August 4, 2022 All the Labour Party had to do was to cede the entire summer to Tory infighting. But when it comes to factionalist fights among themselves, Labour are the experts. Since being given a begrudging vote of confidence by Durham Police, clearing him from the most boring of allegations of rule-breaking, Sir Keir Starmer has found [...]
London markets turn around early losses on strong company earnings August 3, 2022 London markets turned around early morning losses today, driven by a bumper crop of results lifting market sentiment. The FTSE 100 and 250 were initially weighed down by a poor session on Wall Street on Tuesday triggered by fears over escalating tensions between the US and China after house speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. [...]
Battle for Number 10: From tax to NHS, here are all the promises Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have made so far August 3, 2022 Yesterday, Liz Truss has this morning performed a screeching U-turn on a policy to pay regional public sector workers less than their London counterparts. it came after a severe backlash from Tory MPs and Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen. The embarrassing move comes as Truss and her rival Rishi Sunak continue to flesh out their [...]
KKR slumps to second quarter loss as deals slowdown hits August 3, 2022 Investment giant KKR slumped to a loss in the second quarter of the year after market volatility sparked a slowdown in dealmaking and a fall in the return on its investments.
Boris Johnson goes on holiday despite prime minister having less than five weeks in office August 3, 2022 Despite his premiership ending in less than five weeks time, Boris Johnson is to begin a summer holiday today. Downing Street would not give details of where the Prime Minister would be spending his time off from Wednesday until the end of the week. But the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said Mr Johnson will remain [...]
Britain’s waistline won’t be slimmed by sugar taxes – they could even make it worse August 3, 2022 Britain has an obesity problem – and it’s getting worse. According to a report from the King’s Fund think tank, the proportion of obesity in deprived areas is 37 per cent, up from 32 per cent three years ago. Theresa May’s government tried to curb obesity with the “soft drinks industry levy” in 2018 – [...]
Can hydrogen boost the UK’s energy security? August 2, 2022 The Government’s supp;y security strategy gives a clear role for low-carbon hydrogen, but what role can it play in our energy sector?
1 in 5 nightclubs disappeared since Covid onset as industry head warns of slowing ticket sales August 2, 2022 One in five nightclubs have disappeared over the past three years, with bosses crying out for support as ticket sales slow amid the economic crunch. Nightclub numbers have dwindled to just 1,130 venues across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to figures released by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) through insights firm CGA. [...]