BT staff have voted for their first national strike in 35 years, which is expected to affect customers across the country having broadband services installed or getting faults fixed. The strike by BT engineers and call centre staff represents the vast majority of its 58,000-strong frontline workforce, and the trade union organising the ballot has […]
More than two million people have become higher-rate taxpayers under Boris Johnson’s government, fuelling a backlash from Tory MPs. Figures released by HM Revenue & Customs yesterday showed that 6.1 million people — equivalent to one in six adults — now pay at the 40 per cent rate, up from 4.2 million in 2019. They […]
A cut in VAT has been proposed by No 10 to curb inflation and help households with the cost of living crisis. Steve Barclay, the prime minister’s chief of staff, suggested reducing the 20 per cent headline rate of the tax, proposing that a temporary cut would reduce the tax bill for millions and ease inflation, […]
Business confidence has fallen to a 15-month low as soaring inflation and the associated cost-of-living squeeze pile the pressure on bosses. Corporate sentiment dropped this month to its lowest point since March 2021, when the UK economy was emerging from a second wave of Covid-19, according to a long-running monthly survey by Lloyds Banking Group. […]
Amazon has bowed to pressure from the United Arab Emirates and restricted search results for LGBTQ+-related products such as books and rainbow-coloured flags on its website in the country. The company decided to restrict the searches after being threatened with penalties by the UAE government, according to the New York Times which first reported the […]
The Bank of England is leaving “all options on the table” including a bigger 50 basis-point interest rate rise to tackle 40-year high inflation, central bank governor Andrew Bailey has warned. Bailey told an audience of global central bankers that rate-setters would leave the door open to more aggressive monetary tightening, despite the gradual pace […]
Students with top A-level grades will be turned away from universities under the most competitive admissions process in living memory, an expert will say today. Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at Exeter University, believes this year will mark the start of a “new tougher era” in the battle for places and warned that […]
Tesco is facing shortages of Heinz baked beans, ketchup and salad cream after a fallout with the US brand over price increases. Heinz has paused supplies of a range of key products over the row, which has already left shelves empty in some stores and items out of stock on Tesco’s website. A Tesco spokesperson […]
Tariffs on steel imports from China and other countries are to be extended for another two years, the UK government has announced, admitting the move risks breaching World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the international trade secretary, said the government was acting in the “public interest” and to protect “thousands” of jobs. She said […]
BEIS has raised alarm bells over a key report on Government’s progress to net zero, deeming it “dire”, and “catastrophic for the country and the planet” if not acted on. The independent Climate Change Committee (CCC)’s latest report revealed that Downing Street’s current strategy will not reach net zero carbon emissions over the coming three […]