British banking chiefs take a leaf from Elon Musk’s DOGE July 4, 2025 The chiefs of the UK’s Big Four banks are taking a leaf out of the Elon Musk playbook in their strident bid to slash costs. Natwest’s Paul Thwaite, Lloyds’ Charlie Nunn, HSBC’s Georges Elhedery and Barclays’ CS Venkatkrishnan are in the midst of major cost-cutting endeavours that bear similarities to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency [...]
Starmer’s had a bad year – here’s what he must do next July 4, 2025 Following a chaotic and deeply damaging row over welfare cuts, Keir Starmer can’t afford any more cock-ups, says Douglas Beattie A year ago the general election campaign was closing and the country was about to vote for the first Labour government in 14 years. A year on, many at the top of the party accept [...]
Watch: Labour’s ‘total clusterf**k’ July 3, 2025 It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Exactly a year ago the Labour government swept into office promising stability, competence and economic growth. So why, on the one year anniversary of their victory, does it feel like their dying days? This has been a pretty extraordinary week in British politics and it’s a week that [...]
Battersea power station lights the way for regenerating our high streets July 3, 2025 Mixed-use development, funded by private capital like Battersea Power Station can bring life back to high streets hammered by Labour’s tax rises, says Jamila Robertson Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Labour’s landslide victory and their year-long opportunity to attain the growth they promised the electorate. I have written extensively about the damage decisions made [...]
Sacking Reeves would make a bad situation even worse July 2, 2025 This government has made plenty of mistakes but ditching Rachel Reeves would be by far the biggest. While my advice to ministers remains “I wouldn’t have started from here” I have to recognise that a misstep now could make a bad situation worse. And the situation is bad. As Labour marks its first full year [...]
Welfare: Starmer’s authority shattered as Reeves faces £5bn headache July 2, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has suffered a devastating hit to his authority whilst a £5bn spending headache looms for Rachel Reeves following the government’s u-turn to avoid a catastrophic defeat of its welfare bill. Just days away from his one year anniversary in Downing Street, the PM faced the most substantial backbench rebellion of his premiership [...]
Steel industry demands rapid resolution to tariff uncertainty July 1, 2025 Car makers and aerospace manufacturers have welcomed the UK-US trade deal that came into force on Monday, but steelmakers have warned that delays to tariffs on their exports coming down are “paralysing” their industry. The UK is the only country to have secured a trade deal with the US since Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ reciprocal tariffs, [...]
Jon Slade takes over the top job at the Financial Times July 1, 2025 Jon Slade today becomes chief executive of the Financial Times, stepping into the top job after two decades at the paper, and 30 years in the media industry. He is replacing long-serving chief executive John Ridding, who announced his decision to step down last year after almost 20 years in post and over three decades [...]
Lewis Capaldi at Glastonbury 2025 review: it was surreal to see him return June 28, 2025 Most Pyramid Stage moments at Glastonbury are euphoric for performers and punters, but Lewis Capaldi wasn’t able to finish his set in 2023 due to a bout of tourettes. This afternoon the 28-year-old made an incredible return to the festival’s main stage to deliver a short surprise set. Capaldi‘s Glastonbury 2023 appearance was so significant [...]
Lego: Profit spikes as sales pass major milestone June 25, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of Lego spiked in 2024 as its sales passed the £500m mark for the first time, it has been revealed. The Berkshire-headquartered division of the Danish giant has reported a pre-tax profit of £42.9m for its latest financial year. The total comes after Lego posted a pre-tax profit of £24.2m [...]