Growth is easier to destroy than to build December 16, 2024 Missions, milestones, foundations and pledges; Keir Starmer has unveiled them all since winning the election in July, but no amount of visionary rhetoric can compel an economy to grow. Since Labour’s election victory the British economy has whimpered to a halt. GDP flatlined in July and achieved a barely perceptible nudge up in August before contracting [...]
Talktalk to axe hundreds of jobs in latest cost-cutting drive December 15, 2024 Talktalk is set to cut hundreds of jobs as it looks to boost its balance sheet after narrowly avoiding collapse earlier this year. The telecoms giant, which had 1,857 employees at the end of February, outlined plans to cut the roles in the “radical” restructuring in an update last week, according to The Telegraph. The [...]
A requiem for UK equity capital markets December 14, 2024 London’s storied status as a global financial powerhouse is slipping away, and with every IPO that doesn’t materialise or company that decamps to the US, it becomes clearer that the City is in its death throes, says Owen Matthews As a former mid-cap ECM investment banker, I’ve watched with despair as the lights dim on [...]
Best cars of 2024 – From the new Aston Martin Vantage to the McLaren Artura Spider December 13, 2024 The car industry is facing strong headwinds, from import tariffs to mandated EV sales targets. Despite it all, though, 2024 has produced some genuinely exciting new cars, many of which we were lucky enough to drive. This isn’t a round-up of the ‘best’ cars of the year; many of the vehicles listed here are totally [...]
UK economy ‘at risk of stagflation’ as growth stalls under Labour December 13, 2024 Latest official GDP figures show the UK economy has stopped expanding since Labour took power, creating a headache for Keir Starmer after putting growth at the centre of his government’s mission. The economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 per cent in October, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. It missed economists’ expectations [...]
Crowdcube: Turnover falls by half as losses continue December 13, 2024 Turnover at funding platform Crowdcube fell by half during its latest financial year as it continued to lose money, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered business has reported a turnover of £7.5m for 2023, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The new figure comes after Crowdcube posted a turnover of £14.4m for the 15 [...]
UK economy on ‘recession watch’ after unexpected contraction December 13, 2024 The UK economy shrank unexpectedly in October after a fall in production output and stagnation in the services sector ahead of the Budget. GDP fell 0.1 per cent during the month, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. Economists had expected a return to modest growth of 0.1 per cent. It marks two [...]
The government’s industrial strategy is overlooking logistics December 13, 2024 The government has identified eight high-growth industries for priority support but they all depend on the industrial logistics sector, says James Craddock The industrial strategy green paper is a welcome declaration of intent from the government to drive productivity and economic growth over the next decade. It also offers a crucial opportunity for businesses to [...]
Orlando outside of Disney World: The Sunshine State’s other side December 12, 2024 I’m not a driver. It’s just never appealed to me and I have no interest in cars. Apart from getting behind the wheel for one or two lessons, I’ve remained a perpetual passenger for twenty years. Yet, as my friend drove us along the vast highways out of Orlando International, country music on the radio, [...]
What start-ups taught me about ambition this year December 12, 2024 Ambition AM Editor Jennifer Sieg takes a look at what she’s learned from covering the world of entrepreneurship this year I am often asked what I look for when it comes to writing about a start-up or interviewing an entrepreneur, and for quite some time I considered it to be the million dollar question. Fortunately, [...]