Seventeen UK businesses, including Crate Brewery in Hackney and the British Society for Immunology, are launching a six-month trial of the four-day working week with over 1,000 employees participating. Organised by the 4 Day Week Campaign, this trial lets workers maintain full pay while working only four days each week. This follows a successful trial […]
The Treasury’s bank referral scheme, intended to increase finance access for small businesses, has come under heavy scrutiny after a recent review revealed it has secured loans for only one in twenty companies referred. Under the scheme, nine major banks are required to refer small businesses they decline for loans to independent platforms that connect […]
Private schools in the UK, represented by the Independent Schools Council (ISC), have voted to take legal action against Labour’s decision to impose VAT on school fees. The ISC, which represents 1,400 independent schools, argues that the new tax is discriminatory, particularly affecting students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as well as faith-based […]
Article content Starbucks Corp. will stop charging an extra fee on beverages with non-dairy milk alternatives as part of an effort to “win back customers,” according to chief executive Brian Niccol. The initiative was announced following the release of the company’s 2024 Q4 earnings report this week. Starbucks will remove its 10 per cent surcharge […]
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has introduced a record-breaking £40bn tax rise in her first Budget, which the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warns could stifle long-term economic growth. According to the OBR, Britain’s economy will expand by just over 1% this year, peaking at 2% in 2025, but remaining below its potential growth rate of 1.66% […]
A Russian court has handed Google an astronomical $20 decillion fine—an amount that vastly exceeds the total money supply in the world—after the tech giant blocked accounts belonging to several pro-Kremlin TV channels on YouTube. The case, which has captured global attention due to the unprecedented figure involved, reflects growing tensions between Google and Russia […]
Rachel Reeves announces the first Labour budget in 14 years, and the first to be delivered by a female Chancellor. Refresh this page as we follow live: Britain voted for change, she says. The government has a mandate to restore stability and start a decade of renewal, she says. Reeves says Labour must ‘invest, invest, […]
Rachel Reeves is expected to make climate change a core priority for the Bank of England in her first Budget as Chancellor, calling on Governor Andrew Bailey to give environmental concerns the same weight as economic growth. This shift, conveyed in a letter to Bailey on Wednesday, will reintroduce climate change as a focus for […]
For the second year running, delivery firm Evri has been named the UK’s worst-performing parcel delivery company, with nearly half of its customers reporting issues. According to Ofcom, the UK’s postal regulator, 44% of customers who used Evri in the last six months encountered delivery problems — the highest rate among all 10 companies assessed. […]
Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has criticised the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) for allegedly compromising its political impartiality, as it prepares to release a review potentially critical of the Conservative government on budget day. The review is expected to address claims by Chancellor Rachel Reeves of a £22 billion fiscal gap left by the previous […]