It’s a sad story from brewery to pub February 26, 2026 It was a balmy 17 degrees in the Square Mile yesterday, drawing crowds out for a lunchtime pint in the sun. But in other parts of the country the hospitality sector is still in the grip of winter. Bad news came thick and fast from my native Cornwall yesterday, starting with confirmation that Sharp’s Brewery [...]
Why Rachel Reeves’ low-key Spring Statement still matters February 26, 2026 This is the Spring Statement that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has long been waiting for in opposition: a moment of sheer insignificance. In May 2023, six months after the mini-budget debacle, Reeves offered a speech in opposition to Washington DC’s top independent think tank, the Peterson Institute, exalting her core economics philosophy of ‘securonomics’. She summarised [...]
Tory MP accuses Starmer of ‘blatant lie’ over energy bills claim February 25, 2026 A Tory backbencher has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer for a “blatant lie” after he praised a drop in the energy price cap set by Ofgem. Katie Lam, who has weighed in on issues ranging from growth to immigration, said energy bills under Labour had spiked since it took to power in mid-2024. She [...]
Ratcliffe’s Ineos could sell off assets as chemicals sector struggles February 25, 2026 Ineos is reportedly considering selling off parts of its business, as the chemicals giant attempts to shore up its finances amid a wider industry downturn. The firm founded and chaired by Jim Ratcliffe has held preliminary talks about selling off parts of its vinyls business Inovyn, Europe’s largest producer of PVC, a plastic widely used [...]
Household energy prices to fall by 7 per cent from April 1 February 25, 2026 The price most households pay for energy will fall by 7 per cent from April 1, driven by the Government’s promised £150 cut to the average bill, Ofgem said. The regulator’s price cap will drop from the current £1,758 to £1,641 – a reduction of around £10 a month for the average household using both [...]
Russia’s economy ‘in stagnation’ as war takes toll February 24, 2026 Russia’s economy has “moved into a period of stagnation” after initial war efforts boosted output in the country, amid growing hopes in the West that further sanctions have been successful in limiting its growth. Four years on from the start of President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, economists have flagged the threats faced by [...]
Trump calls on Big Tech to protect households from AI power costs February 24, 2026 The White House has requested formal pledges from US tech giants that the swelling data centre boom will not drive up electricity bills for households, as concern mounts over AI’s energy demands. Donald Trump has approached behemoths like Microsoft and Alphabet, who have notoriously rallied behind his administration, about signing voluntary, non-binding agreements committing them [...]
How to solve the energy crisis? Give power back to the markets February 23, 2026 Solving the energy crisis needs the dynamism of the private sector, not more government subsidies and central planning, writes Emma Revell.
Small businesses warn April cost hikes could force closures February 19, 2026 Small businesses have warned they are heading into an “unprecedented cost crunch” in April, with over a third of employers planning to cut output or shut down as higher taxes and bills take effect. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has written to Rachel Reeves, warning that a combination of rising energy standing charges, business rate increases, [...]
Surinder Arora: Hotels should not be excluded from tax relief February 19, 2026 Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has said he “fails to see” why the government has offered emergency tax support only to pubs, as hotels battle with “unprecedented” business rate hikes. This comes after Wednesday’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures revealed that hotels and restaurants are facing far quicker price rises than the headline inflation rate. The [...]