Spike in UK car dealerships being snapped up as British firms go cheap August 20, 2023 UK car dealerships are increasingly being snapped up by overseas investors on the cheap amid a surge in dealmaking in the sector. There were around 20 overseas investments into UK dealer groups in the decade prior to 2019, while the three years post-Covid have already seen 10 transactions, with several set to be completed this [...]
Rishi Sunak says we’ll feel better off next year – but is the PM right? August 18, 2023 Rishi Sunak has pledged Brits will all feel better off next year, as he said he “passionately believes” he can bring down inflation and ease the cost of living crisis. Speaking to the Times, the prime minister vowed to be disciplined on public spending and tax rates in a bid to revive the UK’s economic [...]
Fresh train strikes and overtime ban to cause more rail havoc on 1 and 2 September August 18, 2023 Train drivers are to stage a fresh strike in the long-running dispute over pay, threatening more travel chaos for passengers. Members of Aslef will walk out on September 1 and will ban overtime on September 2, the same day as a strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT). Aslef said its strike will [...]
July washout drags retail sales down 1.2 per cent as supermarkets and high street hit August 18, 2023 July’s awful weather dragged down UK retail sales by 1.2 per cent, as supermarkets suffered the most from the washout with Brits not splashing cash on food and clothes. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show retail sales volumes in July went down following a small rise of 0.6 in June, [...]
The Conservatives can’t keep protecting the pensions triple lock at all costs August 18, 2023 For years, the Conservatives have refused to budge on the pensions triple lock, even as the cost of it threatens to blow out to £147bn, writes Adam Hawksbee.
P&O Ferries owner posts £500m profit but CEO warns of ‘uncertain’ trade outlook August 17, 2023 P&O Ferries owner DP World posted half-year profits of $651m (£509.18m) today, down 10 per cent on last year’s record performance, amid a more challenging outlook for global trade and weakened freight rates. “While the near-term trade outlook may be uncertain due to macroeconomic and geopolitical factors, the solid financial performance of the first six [...]
Explainer: Committing to the pension triple lock once again August 17, 2023 Every six months or so, the political world plunges into a debate about the pension triple lock. This summer is no exception, with Rishi Sunak promising to stick to it this week. The triple lock regulates pensions, redefining the amount pensioners will get every April by whatever is highest between pay growth, inflation or 2.5 [...]
‘Greedflation’ not behind UK price rises, new data indicates August 17, 2023 Corporate profiteering, or ‘greedflation’, is not the driving force behind UK price rises, new data out today indicates. The profitability of private non-financial corporations grew by 0.1 per cent between the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported. It found that the net rate of [...]
Sunak commits to triple lock hinting pensions could rise by eight per cent August 17, 2023 Rishi Sunak has signalled that state pensions could go up next year by almost eight per cent as he committed to maintaining the “triple lock”. Under the triple lock, the state pension is uprated in April by inflation, wages or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher. Wage growth is currently the highest of the three [...]
Bitcoin slips below $29,000 as Ethereum loses its grip on $1.8k August 17, 2023 Bitcoin and Ethereum are both down by almost 2% in the last day, in line with stock markets, which slid for the second consecutive day.