Almost no trains are running in most parts of England today as train drivers at 15 operating companies go on strike. The 24-hour strike by members of the Aslef union will stop services entirely across major national rail lines, halting most commuter services in the south-east, Midlands and north of England. In most areas, the […]
Sales of electric vehicles have reached record levels in the UK, although supply chain disruption drove total sales of new cars to their lowest level in 30 years. Just more than 1.6m new cars were sold in the UK last year, a 2% fall from 2021, and the lowest level since 1992, according to the […]
The British government has been given the go ahead to keep concealing the names of companies which received in total more than £47bn in state-backed Covid loans, after a tribunal ruled in its favour. The tribunal case had been brought by campaign group Spotlight on Corruption, amid concerns fraudsters and organised criminals had exploited government-guaranteed […]
Amazon is cutting more than 18,000 employees in the biggest round of lay-offs by a technology giant yet. The world’s largest retailer, which rode a surge in demand at the height of the pandemic, is now moving to cut costs amid cooling demand and fears of recession. Having started reducing its vast workforce in November, […]
Household energy bills are forecast to be hundreds of pounds a year lower than expected in the second half of this year, falling below the government’s £3,000 price guarantee after a sharp drop in wholesale prices. Annual energy bills for a typical household are now estimated at £2,640 from July and £2,704 from October, according […]
Mortgage approvals fell to their lowest level in two years in November as rising borrowing costs and the aftermath of the government’s mini-budget put off prospective homeowners. Borrowing data from the Bank of England showed a larger-than-expected fall in the number of new mortgages to 46,100 in November, down from 57,900 the previous month and […]
Weak exports, job losses and signs that trade with Britain is still being “shunned” after Brexit meant that the manufacturing industry ended 2022 with its lowest output in more than two years. Survey data from manufacturers, compiled by S&P Global, recorded a fifth straight month of contraction in the sector, with December suffering the lowest […]
Food prices rose by a record 13.3 per cent in December, increasing fears that inflation may not fall as sharply in 2023 as central bankers and economists hope. The war in Ukraine led to sustained rises in the cost of animal feed, fertiliser and energy that squeezed supplies as demand rose, according to the latest […]
All children will have to study mathematics until they are 18 under Rishi Sunak’s plans to reimagine the education system. The prime minister will make the policy his personal mission today as he attempts to seize control of the political agenda with the first big speech since his inaugural address outside No 10 in October. […]
British companies installed a record number of public electric car chargers during 2022 as they raced to dominate a fast-growing and potentially lucrative market. There were more than 8,700 public chargers installed in the UK during the year to 22 December, bringing the total available to more than 37,000, according to Zap-Map, a data company. […]