Alcohol-free beer and hummus: Trendy food transforms inflation basket March 16, 2026 Healthy food and personal security products have dominated the list of additions to the Office for National Statistics’ basket of goods, which is used to calculate CPI inflation each month. Alcohol-free beer, hummus and baby food are among the new entries in the inflation basket of goods, it has been revealed. The revisions to the [...]
Labour’s inheritance tax reforms face legal test as farmers argue unlawful consultation March 16, 2026 The UK government is set to defend its inheritance tax raid on agricultural assets and family firms in the High Court this week. The proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) represent one of the biggest shifts in UK inheritance tax (IHT) policy in decades. After a year of protests [...]
Chinese online retailer takes on Amazon March 16, 2026 Chinese retail giant JD.com has mounted a challenge to Amazon’s control of the home-delivery market with its UK launch of online shop Joybuy. The platform will offer big-name brands including Apple, Samsung and Lego and is taking on Amazon’s reputation for speedy delivery with its “Double 11” promise – meaning orders placed before 11am will [...]
Starmer: ‘Viable plan’ needed for Trump’s Strait of Hormuz request March 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he is still in discussions to draw up a “viable, collective plan” with European allies in response to President Trump’s call for help in the Strait of Hormuz. In a press conference on Monday, the Prime Minister insisted that the country would “not be drawn into the wider war” in [...]
Rooftop hospitality at Cheltenham Festival after £100m Jockey Club deal March 16, 2026 The Jockey Club has agreed a £100m investment deal with Levy in a move that will see major upgrades to the Cheltenham Festival and Epsom Derby. The agreement, with the sport division of Compass Group, will span 20 years and see the Jockey Club seek to enhance the “spectator experience across their UK racecourses”. Chief [...]
Dragons Den star steps in to save Robert Dyas March 16, 2026 A former Dragons Den star has stepped in to “steady the ship” at a beloved high street hardware store as losses climb. Theo Paphitis, who owns a string of retailers, has installed himself as interim chief executive at Robert Dyas, as the home improvement and electrical appliance seller battles “testing times”. Paphitis bought the retailer [...]
Will Thames Water’s latest rescue package pass muster? March 16, 2026 Thames Water’s latest rescue package has been designed to fend off the public’s criticism of the way the company has been mismanaged. In a statement, Thames Water said the new detail would comprise £6.6bn of new debt – including £3.3bn accessible on day one of the rescue plan being implemented – which will be provided [...]
Labour urged to revisit non-dom regime to revive London economy March 16, 2026 Business leaders have urged Labour to overturn its abolition of the “non-dom” tax regime to stem an “exodus” of high-net worth figures leaving the capital. Lobby group BusinessLDN has called on the government to create an “Office for Tax Competitiveness” to identify where the UK loses out on attracting investment and growth due to stricter [...]
London-based insuretech Loxa bags £2.7m to expand across Europe March 16, 2026 London-based insuretech Loxa has completed a £2.7m seed funding round to expand its embedded insurance platform across the European retail market. The firm secured the investment in three separate tranches from a group of angel investors and family offices. The Lazaroo-Hood Group led the backing with further support from the Angel Investment Network, FundMyPitch, and [...]
Sinner breaches major prize money barrier with $1m Indian Wells haul March 16, 2026 Jannik Sinner’s victory at Indian Wells took his career prize money to $60m, with the Italian averaging $142,000 per career match. The Italian beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to win Indian Wells on Sunday and become the youngest man to win all six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles. Australian Open semi-finalist Sinner, 24, won 7-6 7-6 [...]