Jet fuel crisis worse than Covid for airlines, says AirAsia chief Transport & Infrastructure The global jet fuel shortage caused by the Iran war has caused a bigger crisis for airlines than the Covid-19 pandemic, the chief of AirAsia has warned. Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia, said: “I thought I’d seen it all with Covid […] but having seen jet fuel go up almost three times — this is much [...]
Economic optimism slumps to lowest level since records began Economics Brits’ optimism in the state of the UK economy has fallen to the lowest level since records began in a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves, with the majority expecting the situation to get even worse. That’s according to new data from the latest Ipsos Economic Optimism Index (EOI), published the same day that the rate [...]
End of the runway for Gatwick as top court kicks out insurance lifeline Legal Gatwick Investment’s appeal against insurance giant Liberty Mutual has been struck down over whether insurers can deduct government furlough payments from business claims. The Supreme Court ruled that insurers do not have to pay an estimated £1bn to the hospitality and leisure companies involved in the case that suffered financial losses during the pandemic because [...]
Britain is still paying a heavy price for Covid lockdowns March 31, 2026 Six years on from the first lockdown, Britain hasn’t returned to its pre-Covid path – instead becoming a high-tax, low-growth less free nation, says Alex Pugh A little over six years ago, 27m people watched UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tell them to “stay home” to tackle the spread of coronavirus. Johnson said you should [...]
Stalling Starling revs up Engine in rebrand September 24, 2025 Veteran of the UK fintech industry Starling has overhauled its brand with a fresh colour palette, a new slogan and even a new name. The digital lender announced last week it would drop the word “Bank” from its banking arm’s name in a move analysts have described as a “significant” step in its evolution. The [...]
Amazon Fresh to close all UK stores September 23, 2025 Amazon is set to close all 19 of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, just four years after launching its first supermarket outlet in London. It has been revealed that the tech giant plans to convert up to five of these locations into Whole Foods Market stores, a US organic food chain it acquired [...]
Former Reform MP to shut down firm after allegations dismissed September 1, 2025 A former Reform UK MP is shutting down one of the companies he was alleged to have not declared a financial interest in. James McMurdock, who now sits as the independent MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock in Essex, has applied to Companies House to have Gym Live Health & Fitness Limited struck off. The move [...]
Game over for Tomb Raider composer after Covid loan fraud conviction July 18, 2025 A video game composer and sound designer best know for his work on the Tomb Raider series has been jailed for fraudulently applying for a Covid loan. Peter Connelly, who is based in Durham, overstated his company’s turnover to obtain a second Bounce Back Loan of £37,500 in 2020 when businesses were only entitled to [...]
Randox: Losses widen at Covid-19 testing giant June 30, 2025 Losses have widened at Randox, which was one of the major Covid-19 testing providers in the UK, just a few years after raking in a profit of more than £200m. The Northern Ireland-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £51.8m for the year to 30 June, 2024. The loss comes after Randox posted a [...]
Easyhotel significantly slashes losses as return to profit nears May 21, 2025 Easyhotel significantly slashed its losses as it took a huge step towards returning to profit for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The London-headquartered budget hotel chain has posted a pre-tax loss of €1.8m (£1.5m) for 2024, down from the €10.5m (£8.9m) it reported for 2023. The latest pre-tax loss figure is the [...]