Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told MPs that Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has confirmed that financial markets are “functioning effectively” and that the UK’s banking system remains resilient, despite the escalating global uncertainty caused by President Trump’s new tariffs. Speaking in the House of Commons, Reeves took the unusual step of opening Treasury questions […]
Retail tycoon Sir Philip Green has lost a high-profile legal case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), after attempting to challenge the UK’s use of parliamentary privilege following his public naming in the House of Lords over alleged misconduct. The former Arcadia Group boss, who is now based in Monaco, brought the case […]
Majority of UK businesses not planning to alter ED&I policies in response to Trump’s rollback The majority of UK business leaders say they will not be adjusting their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) strategies in response to moves by the US government to roll back similar programmes, according to new research from the Institute of […]
The UK’s statistics watchdog has ordered the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to urgently overhaul its data collection methods within the next four weeks, amid growing alarm over the reliability of official economic figures used to shape government and Bank of England decisions. The intervention comes after a series of delays and data quality concerns […]
While many have been soaking up the spring sunshine, farmers across southern England are facing growing concern over the impact of an extended dry spell on their crops. With little rain forecast in the coming days, many fields are struggling, as crops sown earlier this spring fail to germinate in increasingly parched soil. For farmers […]
Lloyds Bank is under renewed scrutiny after former clients and whistleblowers accused it of failing small businesses in the years following the 2008 financial crash, despite receiving a £20 billion taxpayer bailout designed to keep credit flowing to SMEs. A joint investigation by the BBC and Panorama has heard allegations that Lloyds deliberately scaled back […]
UK house prices recorded their sharpest monthly fall in a year as the housing market cooled following a rush of buyers trying to beat changes to stamp duty thresholds in England and Northern Ireland. According to Halifax, the average price of a home fell by 0.5% in March to £296,699 – marking the largest monthly […]
One in four UK adults say they have been duped by ticket scams for high-demand events, losing an average of £82 each, according to new research from Nationwide Building Society. The warning comes just ahead of the highly anticipated resale of Glastonbury Festival tickets. With thousands of fans set to scramble for a limited number […]
From today, businesses operating online must stop using hidden fees and fake reviews, under sweeping new consumer protection laws that aim to save UK shoppers billions and boost confidence in digital marketplaces. The reforms – introduced as part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 – target so-called “sneaky” or “dripped” fees, which […]
The Trump administration is preparing to escalate its trade dispute with the UK by considering the use of a 91-year-old tax rule that would double tax rates on British firms operating in the United States — a move that experts warn could have a more severe impact than tariffs. Known as Section 891 of the […]