Workers’ wages outstripped the pace of inflation for the first time in over a year in July, helping ease the strain on households who have suffered from an erosion in their real pay. Official statistics showed that average weekly earnings across the economy, when stripping out bonuses, rose by 7.8 per cent in the three […]
Jeremy Hunt has hinted that tax cuts are unlikely to be on offer before the next general election after warning that inflation had proved “stickier than was forecast”. The Chancellor told Bloomberg that he did not expect to have more fiscal headroom at the Autumn Statement — compared with the spring Budget — and “debt […]
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) says it is reporting the UK government to the United Nations watchdog on workers’ rights over a new strikes law. New rules on strikes will require some employees to work during industrial action – or face being sacked. The TUC said the legislation fell short of international legal standards. The […]
The Wilko name will disappear from UK High Streets as a rescue deal for the chain fell through. All of its 400 stores across the UK will close by early October, the GMB union has said. It means redundancies now look likely for all 12,500 staff at the family-owned business. It is understood no bidders […]
Increases in the state pension will cost taxpayers up to £45 billion a year by 2050, a think tank has warned, adding pressure on ministers to raise the official retirement age. New research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that since the pensions “triple lock” was introduced in 2010, it had increased pensions […]
The UK’s first fully electric, full-size single decker autonomous bus service is now operating between Didcot Parkway train station and Milton Park – a leading science, technology and business park in Oxfordshire between Didcot and Abingdon. Launching today, the free service marks the final phase of the Mi-Link autonomous bus trial. Operated by First Bus, […]
German supermarket Lidl has opened its largest warehouse in the world, in Bedfordshire. The regional distribution centre at Houghton Regis near Luton is expected to service 150 stores and create up to 1,500 jobs, the company said. The 1.2 million sq ft (111,000 sq metres), £300m site, includes solar panels which Lidl said could run […]
The UK has announced that it is to re-join the EU’s flagship research scheme, Horizon. Talks on the UK becoming a fully-fledged member of the EU’s €100bn (£85bn) programme again began after a deal was cut on post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland earlier this year. The UK’s associate membership of Horizon was agreed in principle […]
Google faces a new multibillion-pound lawsuit from UK consumers accusing the company of contributing to cost-of-living price rises. The lawsuit, on behalf of every consumer in the UK, says that Google has stifled competition in the search engine market, which caused prices to rise across the UK economy. The lawsuit filed with the Competition Appeal […]
Following a successful bid for over £1.2m in funding from the Innovate UK Faraday Battery Challenge, the Digital Enhanced Battery Ubiquitous Training-West Midlands (DEBUT-WM) project brings together regional experts from universities, local government and industry to deliver the pioneering level 2 and level 3 training programme. University College Birmingham, WMG at the University of Warwick, […]