Starmer’s biggest barrier to growth is the Labour party July 7, 2025 A year into Labour rule, the UK economy shows resilience despite government missteps, but Starmer’s statist instincts and fiscal misfires risk stalling the very growth he promises to deliver, says Eliot Wilson Sir Keir Starmer has little in common with Liz Truss, but the two Prime Ministers agreed on one issue: the UK will only [...]
A year of hard Labour: UK plc’s verdict on Starmer and Reeves July 3, 2025 Just a year ago, Keir Starmer’s Labour party won an historic general election victory having promised to be “the most pro-business government this country has seen’. Ali Lyon sees whether industry and business leaders feel the party has met that vow 12 months on. As some of the great and good of Britain’s storied business [...]
Manufacturers fear Labour government will ‘derail growth’ July 1, 2025 Manufacturers continued to see output decline in June, fresh data has shown, as most business owners are now looking at how they can grow under the Labour government. The UK government last week unveiled its industrial strategy aimed at giving high-growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing confidence over the next ten years. But fresh research [...]
Ofgem gives green light to landmark electric grid upgrade July 1, 2025 The UK’s energy regulator has approved a £24bn investment to upgrade the UK’s energy infrastructure as a part of its green transition. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) move comes as the government renews its push for cleaner energy, despite backlash around the impact on prices. Over £15bn is set to be deployed [...]
Disposable income per head slumps despite economic growth June 30, 2025 The Office for National Statistics left growth figures for the UK economy at 0.7 per cent in the first three months of the year unrevised on Monday. Official data from the ONS showed quarter one’s growth was led by a 1.3 per cent increase in the production sector. Services and construction jumped 0.7 per cent [...]
Aston Martin tariff hit sinks UK car output to 76-year low June 27, 2025 UK car production plunged to its lowest level since 1949 last month, as Aston Martin and other British carmakers halted exports to the United States amid president Donald Trump’s escalating trade war. Data released on Friday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found that UK factories turned out just 49,810 cars and [...]
Why are more CEOs than ever addicted to cocaine? June 26, 2025 Cocaine use is surging among high performing business people, fuelled by the relentless demands of the job and a culture that normalises substance abuse, says Abdullah Boulad Cocaine dependency is surging among CEOs, investors and their children. The traits that propel CEOs to success – intensity, risk-taking, and unrelenting drive – are the same ones [...]
Have we crossed the AI event horizon? June 26, 2025 Despite Sam Altman’s claims that we’ve crossed the AI “event horizon,” the reality is that today’s models remain far behind human intelligence in scale, flexibility, efficiency and learning, says Lewis Liu Sam Altman is currently peddling the “gentle singularity“, claiming we are already “past the event horizon” for AI – at the point where the [...]
Net zero levy cuts are just tinkering at the edges June 25, 2025 The Industrial Strategy contains bold ambitions for cutting energy prices. Yet, for all the glossy presentation, the underlying thinking remains the same: a conviction that Whitehall can shape markets more effectively than the market itself, says Emmanuel Igwe We have learned through history that real progress emerges not from the bureaucratic designs of government but [...]
Risk of gas crisis as Iran launches missiles at US military bases June 23, 2025 Iran has launched a barrage of missiles at US military bases in Qatar, in response to America’s bombing raids over the weekend. City analysts have been on high alert over the potential economic fallout, with a warning that gas prices could more than double if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. Analysts fear [...]