Greene King vs Spoons: Who is winning the great British pub battle? May 20, 2025 There are few well-populated areas of the UK where you can’t find either a Greene King or JD Wetherspoon pub. The two titans of the British pubs industry together operate thousands of locations each across the country and are staples of most urban areas. Both are major contributors to the UK economy – providing employment [...]
Support for local housebuilding plummets since election May 20, 2025 Brits’ support for housebuilding in their local area has fallen since the general election in a risk to the government’s lofty construction goals, according to new data. Net support has dropped by 11 percentage points, with renters’ backing for new housing near where they live falling by 14 percentage points, according to new research by [...]
Inflation set to ramp up after ‘Awful April’ May 19, 2025 Inflation is expected to have risen above three per cent last month in data which will reflect the costly impacts of what has been dubbed ‘Awful April’ due to tax rises and bill hikes. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted inflation to come in at 3.3 per cent, a sharp spike from March when [...]
Greene King: Pub giant calls for ‘urgent help’ after losing £150m May 19, 2025 Pub giant Greene King has issued an urgent plea to the government for help after slumping to a near-£150m loss in 2024. The Suffolk-headquartered group fell to a pre-tax loss of £147.1m during its latest financial year, having posted a profit of £45.2m in 2023. Greene King, which operates around 2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, [...]
83 per cent agree that Britain has a housing crisis – here’s how we’ll fix it May 19, 2025 The housing sector is reaffirming its commitment to addressing the UK’s housing crisis through building affordable, sustainable homes, empowering communities, and urging stronger collaboration with government to meet ambitious national targets, says Clare Miller Across the country, the public is clear: we need more affordable homes. And encouragingly, signs from government suggest they’re listening. As [...]
Government AI pushed stalled by old tech May 16, 2025 The UK public sector is facing a digital crisis, with pressure mounting to roll out AI-driven services, enhance citizen engagement, and modernise remote working. But the sector is being dragged back by legacy systems, disconnected platforms, and chronic budget constraints. A new report from CX platform provider 8×8 and Cavell Group analysts has revealed that [...]
Rental crisis to worsen in the next decade, says UK’s biggest landlord May 15, 2025 Ongoing supply constraints are set to worsen the UK’s rental crisis in the coming years, according to the country’s biggest landlord. Grainger said it expected rental demand to grow 20 per cent from its 2021 level by 2031, far above growth in housing supply. “The private rental market in the UK faces growing demand [and] [...]
What do Labour-Reform switchers want? It’s not what you think May 15, 2025 Voters who have left Labour for Reform are more pro-European than the general public with nearly three quarters wanting a much closer relationship with the EU, finds Praful Nargund Tough rhetoric and tighter rules from the Prime Minister are all designed to neutralise one of the most volatile issues in British politics: immigration. But behind [...]
Green belt homes ‘needed’ to solve housing crisis, Sadiq Khan says May 15, 2025 London is suffering a chronic housing shortage. Lacklustre rates of housebuilding have helped push up the cost of a home to well beyond the reach of ordinary Londoners. The price of an average terrace house in Camden has roughly tripled compared to twenty years ago to more than £1.5m today, Land Registry data shows, while [...]
Champagne Lanson sales fail to fizz as prices rise May 9, 2025 Champagne Lanson suffered a sharp drop in its UK sales in 2024 as drinkers turned their backs on bars and restaurants amid the cost-of-living crisis. New accounts filed with Companies House show the brand’s turnover was slashed from £45.2m to £35.5m last year while its pre-tax profit also fell from £1.7m to £819,000. The champagne [...]