The UK government’s continued focus on traditional free trade agreements (FTAs) is misaligned with the country’s service-based economy, according to a new report from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), which calls for a fundamental rethink of Britain’s trade policy. The think tank argues that lengthy, goods-focused FTAs offer diminishing returns and are poorly matched to […]
HSBC has told thousands of UK employees that their pay could be cut if they fail to meet new in-office attendance requirements, as the bank steps up efforts to tighten its hybrid working policy. In a memo sent to employees in its UK high street and commercial banking division, which employs around 24,000 people, the […]
OpenAI has announced a major strategic move to accelerate its expansion into hardware, with the acquisition of io, the San Francisco-based tech start-up founded by Sir Jony Ive, the former chief design officer at Apple. The merger, valued at $6.5 billion (£4.8 billion), will bring together Ive’s team of engineers, product developers and designers under […]
Public sector borrowing in the UK surged past expectations last month, hitting £20.2 billion, as higher spending on public services and increased benefit payments drove up government outlays. The figure, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), came in significantly above the £17.9 billion forecast by economists and surpasses the £19.2 billion recorded in […]
Artificial intelligence continues to dominate venture capital headlines — and cheques — but a new report from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) warns the surge in AI investment is masking a growing divide in the startup ecosystem, with many non-AI ventures starved of capital and so-called ‘zombiecorns’ now on the rise. According to SVB’s State of […]
The European Commission is preparing to introduce a €2 handling fee on online parcels entering the EU as part of a sweeping overhaul of its customs system, aimed at managing the billions of low-value items flooding into the bloc—primarily from China-based e-commerce giants such as Shein, Temu, and Alibaba. The proposed fee is intended to […]
The UK’s banking industry is urging the government to extend new legal protections for retail workers to branch staff in banks and building societies, warning that they face similar risks of abuse, violence, and intimidation. A proposed new standalone offence for assaulting retail workers is being introduced under the government’s crime and policing bill, currently […]
British business leaders have welcomed the UK’s latest post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, calling it a vital step towards restoring trade stability, while also warning of key challenges ahead — particularly around regulatory alignment and future sovereignty. The agreement, seen as a reset in the UK-EU relationship, includes removal of many border checks on […]
Revolut, the UK’s most valuable fintech company, has selected Paris as its new European headquarters, announcing a €1 billion investment in France over the next three years as part of its continued European expansion. The London-based digital bank confirmed it is applying for a French banking licence and will make the French capital its operational […]
British ports are calling on the government to compensate for millions in wasted spending on post-Brexit border infrastructure that is now set to be rendered redundant under the UK’s new trade deal with the European Union. The agreement, which includes a commitment to drop most sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on food, animal products and […]