Why it matters that The Rest Is Politics gets everything wrong March 14, 2025 On issues from Trump to Syria, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart’s wildly popular podcast The Rest is Politics is actively making its millions of listeners less informed, says James Price “I wasn’t fundamentally wrong because I was patronising to people. I was wrong because I’m an optimist and I hate the idea of being wrong [...]
Keir Starmer to scrap NHS England March 13, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has announced plans to abolish NHS England and bring the health service under government control. Giving a speech on his plans for civil service reform today, the Prime Minister has confirmed he will scrap the “arms-length body” NHS England. Sir Keir said the decision will see the management of the health service [...]
John Lewis scraps staff bonus again despite tripling profit March 13, 2025 The John Lewis Partnership has scrapped its staff bonus for the third year in a row despite a near-tripling in profit. The company, which owns both John Lewis and Waitrose, told markets this morning that profit before tax increased from £42m to £126m over the 52 weeks to 25 January. Overall sales rose three per [...]
What can small businesses expect from Reeves this spring? March 12, 2025 Small businesses (SMEs) are preparing for slumped growth ahead of this year’s Spring Statement, with increasing concerns over upcoming National Insurance (NI) hikes and business rate relief cuts due to come in in April. Business leaders remain wary of tax increases and spending cuts that could further squeeze SME margins, despite a lower interest rate [...]
PMQs: Starmer accused of ‘trash’ talking and ‘job-killing’ by Badenoch March 12, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer was accused of talking “trash” and leading a “job-killing” government by Kemi Badenoch at a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions session. The Conservative Party leader hit out at the Prime Minister amid clashes over the state of the UK’s economy, councils and Labour’s Budget in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Badenoch responded [...]
This is how UK small businesses are managing despite rising costs March 12, 2025 According to the latest Sage small business tracker, rising operational costs, mounting financial pressures, and pivoting business strategies are creating a challenging economic landscape for SMEs. But despite growing headwinds and challenges, such as higher costs and economic uncertainty, small businesses across the UK are adapting to the changing environment. Profit slows as costs rise [...]
Trump turbulence endangering global ‘soft landing’, BIS warns March 11, 2025 The economic convulsions wrought by Donald Trump’s volatile tariff announcements and swingeing public sector job cuts are threatening hopes of a soft landing after years of inflation, the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has said. The BIS, known widely as the ‘central bank of central banks’, warned in its latest global report that while it [...]
Stella McCartney: Fashion brand suffers sales slump amid huge loss March 11, 2025 Sales at Stella McCartney’s fashion brand were slashed almost in half as its losses widened by £15m in the year before the designer bought out LVMH, it has been revealed. Accounts filed almost six months after the Companies House deadline show Stella McCartney Ltd’s turnover was slashed from £40m to £21.9m in 2023. The accounts [...]
Persimmon: Housebuilder posts uptick in profit amid housing market recovery March 11, 2025 Housebuilder Persimmon has reported an uptick in house completions and profit after two years of steep declines. The York-based company completed 10,664 homes in the year ended December 31, up seven per cent year on year. Revenue from new housing rose £2.86bn from £2.54bn while underlying profit before tax rose 10 per cent to £395.1m. [...]
ISA reforms? Nobody even knows the current rules March 11, 2025 ISA changes could well be welcome, but we shouldn't underestimate how long new rules take to filter through, writes Claire Exley.