Scotch whisky makers look to India amidst Trump tariff worries February 18, 2026 Scotch whisky makers selling into the US faced a challenging year as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to new figures, but many distilleries spy a long term opportunity in India. Figures out last week from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) showed that the value of Scotch exports to the US declined by four [...]
BAE Systems rides defence wave to dividend boost and record results February 18, 2026 BAE Systems shareholders are set for a pay bump as the London-listed group has benefited from the wave of increased global defence spending. Sales at Europe’s largest defence contractor rose 10 per cent to a record £30.7bn, while underlying profit grew 12 per cent to £3.3bn. The group saw its total order backlog reach a [...]
Inflation eases to three per cent boosting interest rate cut hopes February 18, 2026 Inflation fell to its lowest level in nearly a year last month, new figures show, giving a further boost to hopes that the Bank of England will cut interest rates in March. The headline rate dipped to 3.0 per cent in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), down from 3.4 per cent [...]
FCA chief: We can’t solve every problem with new rules February 18, 2026 The Financial Conduct Authority will avoid introducing fresh rules as its stock response to new forms of market failure, its boss has said, as the regulator looks to avoid time-consuming consultation processes and speed up its action. Nikhil Rathi told the Fairer Finance podcast that “not every problem can be solved quickly” by the watchdog [...]
Back Dragon to rise to the Top in Year of the Horse Cup February 17, 2026 EXPECT a huge crowd at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Thursday as the Chinese New Year race day gets underway with an 11-race programme, featuring the Year of the Horse Cup (7.00am) over a mile. This is the day when horse racing fans arrive at the track armed with all their lucky pens, keyrings, [...]
Bond girl Maryam d’Abo is ‘compelling’ in new London play February 17, 2026 Spanish Oranges review and star rating: ★★★★ “Those legs of yours,” purrs Jay Villers’ Ivo to his wife Fiona in the new play Spanish Oranges. For the actor Maryam d’Abo, who played opposite Timothy Dalton’s Bond in The Living Daylights, it’s another decade, another man with emotional issues as she takes on her first stage [...]
Londoners want the police to treat crime as if it’s actually illegal February 17, 2026 Having denied that London is experiencing a crime wave for years, Sadiq Khan’s announcement of crackdown on phone theft is an admission that the capital is less safe than it should be, says Lawrence Newport For years, Sadiq Khan has told Londoners not to believe their own eyes. Londoners have borne witness to the worst [...]
Could Dutch-style wealth taxes be coming to Britain? February 17, 2026 Governments everywhere prefer revenue that can be framed as “fairness”. If the Dutch can make taxing gains as they accrue work without damaging long-term capital formation, it will not stay a Dutch story for long, says Helen Thomas The Netherlands has just approved a reform to its capital gains tax regime that is already sending [...]
Businesses to rush redundancies ahead of new Employment Rights changes February 17, 2026 Businesses plan to carry out a “clean up” of redundancies by the end of the year in anticipation of the Employment Rights Act coming into force next January. The government’s plan to remove the unfair dismissal cap in its Employment Rights Act will lead to more claims, especially among higher-earning employees. To avoid expensive layoffs [...]
BFI Flare 2026 announces full line-up, from Heartstopper to Russell T Davies February 17, 2026 BFI Flare 2026 runs from 189 – 29 March at BFI Southbank The UK’s dedicated LGBTQ film festival BFI Flare has announced its full line-up for 2026, the year in which the event celebrates its 40th birthday. BFI Flare features world premieres of the latest LGBTQ cinema, as well as talks, events and workshops for [...]