Councils turn digital as budget pressures mount April 17, 2025 Councils across the UK are ramping up spending on technology and service design as financial pressures mount and demand for services grows. The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology hopes that digitising public sector services could unlock up to £45bn a year in productivity gains. “This makes digitisation the most powerful lever available to drive [...]
The London taxi trade is dying, and it only has itself to blame April 17, 2025 A new report has predicted the demise of the iconic London taxi, and Uber isn't to blame, writes James Ford.
Jaecoo is the new SUV in town and it’s coming for Land Rover April 12, 2025 You’ve probably never heard of the car brand Jaecoo before, but you’re about to start seeing a lot of them. The Jaecoo 7 boasts the three things most motorists in the UK are looking for in a new set of wheels: It’s a mid-size SUV; it’s hybrid with fantastic fuel economy and all the latest [...]
Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt buys £42m London mansion April 8, 2025 Former Google chief Eric Schmidt has bought a London mansion for £42m in the latest sign that wealthy American buyers are becoming major players in the capital’s property market. According to FT, Schmidt bought the double-fronted, Victoria-era Holland Park mansion last May and plans to rent it out. The deal follows purchases from many other [...]
Dacia Bigster review: Budget family SUV is dressed for success April 3, 2025 Dacia has come a long way from its Romanian roots, back when it built rebadged versions of the Renault 8 and 12. In 2024, the Sandero supermini was Europe’s best-selling car, well ahead of the Renault Clio and Volkswagen Golf. And in the UK, Dacia shifted a record-breaking 31,500 vehicles – up 10 percent on [...]
Estée Lauder loses over £360m as it prepares to cut jobs March 26, 2025 Estée Lauder, the beauty giant behind brands such as Clinique, MAC, and Jo Malone, has slumped to a loss of more than £360m in the UK and Ireland as it prepares to cut thousands of jobs. The US multi-national, which is also the owner of Bobbi Brown, Aveda and Tom Ford, posted a pre-tax loss [...]
Best sports cars to buy in 2025 March 25, 2025 We appear to be falling out of love with sports cars. Registrations are down across Europe, with some models seeing a major slump in sales. Blame the popularity of SUVs or soaring household bills, but it isn’t down to a lack of choice. Indeed, our list of the best sports cars shows a segment in [...]
Is Sadiq Khan finally getting something right on London’s nightlife? March 20, 2025 It has taken eight years – and the appointment of one disastrous night czar – but Sadiq Khan is finally listening to industry when it comes to the future of London’s after hours leisure economy, writes James Ford As a former aide to the previous Mayor of London, it is very rare that I find [...]
Trainline shares tumble despite record sales ahead of national ticket app launch March 13, 2025 Trainline shares tanked on Thursday despite record full-year sales and the announcement of a £75m buyback programme. A bumper set of results failed to quell investor fears over the launch of a state-owned rival ticketing app in the UK, with the stock dropping more than 13 per cent in early deals. It came despite net [...]
Trump escalates trade war, suggests Canada becomes ‘51st State’ March 11, 2025 President Donald Trump has escalated his trade war with Canada, doubling tariffs on metals to 50 per cent and threatening to “substantially increase” levies on the automotive industry. In a post on his own Truth Social network, the US President threatened to “permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada” if Canadian retaliatory tariffs [...]