The Covid inquiry will hold private hearings to examine details about the government’s awarding of multimillion-pound PPE contracts to PPE Medpro, a company with links to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone. Dame Heather Hallett, the inquiry chair, ruled that making the evidence public could jeopardise an ongoing National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation. The NCA has […]
Veuve Clicquot has announced the shortlist for its 2025 Bold Woman and Bold Future Awards, honouring six trailblazing female entrepreneurs and leaders who are reshaping their industries through innovation, determination and social impact. Now in its 53rd year, the award is the longest-running international accolade of its kind, providing a platform for women driving business […]
Heathrow has revealed a record 83.9 million passengers passed through its four terminals last year, a 6 per cent increase on the previous period, boosting its pre-tax profits by nearly a third to £917 million in 2024. The update arrives just weeks after Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed government support for a third runway, describing the […]
Aston Martin Lagonda has pledged to turn a profit by 2025 – at least before paying interest on its ballooning debt – with Adrian Hallmark, its new chief executive, promising a fresh era of operational discipline and financial accountability after a period of mounting losses and leadership upheaval. Hallmark, 62, who joined the Gaydon-based manufacturer […]
Rachel Reeves’s plan to reduce inheritance tax relief for farmers risks hampering growth and destabilising the wider economy, according to Rain Newton-Smith, head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Addressing the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) on Tuesday, Newton-Smith criticised the Chancellor’s decision to cut Agricultural Property Relief—previously exempting farms from inheritance tax—as a “£500 […]
Rachel Reeves’s plan to reduce inheritance tax relief for farmers risks hampering growth and destabilising the wider economy, according to Rain Newton-Smith, head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Addressing the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) on Tuesday, Newton-Smith criticised the Chancellor’s decision to cut Agricultural Property Relief—previously exempting farms from inheritance tax—as a “£500 […]
The billionaire Conservative Party donor Lord Spencer of Alresford has increased his already sizeable holding in Chapel Down Group, England’s largest wine producer, amid a protracted share-price slump since its December 2023 flotation. Recent stock exchange filings show that Spencer, founder of broker Icap and a non-executive director at Chapel Down, snapped up an additional […]
The billionaire Conservative Party donor Lord Spencer of Alresford has increased his already sizeable holding in Chapel Down Group, England’s largest wine producer, amid a protracted share-price slump since its December 2023 flotation. Recent stock exchange filings show that Spencer, founder of broker Icap and a non-executive director at Chapel Down, snapped up an additional […]
BMW has confirmed a delay to the reintroduction of electric vehicle (EV) production at its iconic Mini plant in Oxford, blaming a confluence of factors shaping the beleaguered automotive sector. The German carmaker said the decision includes pausing a £600m upgrade of the facility and declining a £60m grant offer from the government, although it […]
BMW has confirmed a delay to the reintroduction of electric vehicle (EV) production at its iconic Mini plant in Oxford, blaming a confluence of factors shaping the beleaguered automotive sector. The German carmaker said the decision includes pausing a £600m upgrade of the facility and declining a £60m grant offer from the government, although it […]