UK Economy Grows 0.7% as Services Drive Strongest Quarterly Expansion Since Early 2025
Official ONS figures show the UK economy grew 0.7% in the third quarter of 2026, driven by services, while construction contracted.
Staff member · 3 min readLatest in Business
Government Announces £700 Million Fund to Unlock Up to Ten Major Industrial Sites Across UK
Ministers launch a £700m programme to help bring forward six to ten stalled industrial sites, targeting up to £2bn in private investment.
Staff member · 3 min readTreasury Minister Says Employers Are Not ‘Working People’, Sparking Political Row
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds faces criticism after distinguishing employers from “working people” in a GB News interview, reopening Labour’s tax pledge debate.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readUK Business Creations Fall 3.5% as Hospitality and Health Sectors Record Sharp Declines
ONS figures show 69,895 UK business creations in July–September 2026, down 3.5% year on year, with sharp falls in health and hospitality. Closures also declined.
Staff member · 2 min readOBR Warns Labour's Employment Rights Act Will Likely Damage UK Economy as Business Costs Outweigh Productivity Gains
The OBR expects Labour’s Employment Rights Act to have a negative economic impact, but says the size is too uncertain to quantify in its forecast.
Staff member · 3 min readThames Water Credit Rating Cut Further Into Junk Territory As £20bn Debt Crisis Deepens
S&P has downgraded Thames Water to CCC- as the utility seeks £2.4bn in additional emergency financing and attempts to restructure approximately £20bn in debt.
Staff member · 2 min readTreasury Entrepreneurship Adviser to Leave After Warning Government Is Sidelining British Start-Ups
Alex Depledge says she will leave her Treasury advisory role after Wednesday’s Budget, criticising what she sees as insufficient attention to British scale-ups and innovative businesses.
Staff member · 2 min readChancellor Confirms £20.4 Billion Capital Boost for State-Backed Investment Funds
The Treasury has confirmed plans to provide £20.4 billion in additional capital to the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank over roughly five years, ahead of the Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readFormer Goldman Sachs Chief Moves to Jersey as Conservatives Warn Over UK Tax Policy
Former Goldman Sachs International co-chief executive Michael Sherwood has confirmed moving to Jersey and becoming tax-resident there, prompting criticism of government tax policy from the Conservatives.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readGovernment Announces £800 Million Business Cost-Cutting Package Ahead of Budget
Ministers say regulatory reforms and extended tariff suspensions could save British businesses almost £800 million a year, with changes to company reporting and small-business paperwork.
James Ashcroft · 2 min readBarclays to Cut 5,000 Jobs as AI-Linked Restructuring Accelerates Despite £2.3bn Quarterly Profit
Barclays expects to cut around 5,000 jobs worldwide in 2026, with 4,000 still to go, as it expands technology-led efficiency measures despite a 12% rise in quarterly pre-tax profit to £2.3bn.
Staff member · 2 min readPaddy Power Owner Plans Up to 1,400 Job Cuts, Blaming UK Gambling Tax Increases
Flutter Entertainment has announced proposals for up to 1,400 redundancies across its UK and Ireland business, attributing the restructuring to higher UK gambling taxes.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readFormer Labour Minister John Hutton Selected to Chair Thames Water Under £10 Billion Rescue Plan
Former Labour Cabinet minister Lord John Hutton has been selected as prospective chairman of Thames Water if a creditor-led rescue deal goes ahead.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readUK Competition Watchdog Proposes Tighter Oversight of Microsoft Business Software
The CMA proposes strategic market status for Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, opening consultation on potential competition measures affecting Copilot, security software and cloud licensing.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readMicrosoft Faces Potential Tougher UK Competition Oversight as CMA Investigates Business Software
The UK competition regulator is examining whether Microsoft should face Strategic Market Status designation over its business software ecosystem, with a final decision expected by February 2027.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThames Water Seeks Extra £2.4 Billion in Emergency Funding as Financial Crisis Deepens
Thames Water is asking creditors to support an additional £2.4 billion emergency funding facility as it warns existing liquidity may last only until late 2026 or early 2027.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readGovernment Considers Intervention in £1.6 Billion Sky–ITV Takeover
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has told Sky and ITV she is minded to intervene in their proposed £1.6 billion broadcasting and streaming deal, citing media plurality, freedom of expression and programme diversity.
Peter Jackson · 2 min readCMA Fines Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Gold’s Gym £6 Million Over Misleading Sales Tactics
The competition watchdog has imposed penalties totalling £6.045 million on three businesses over misleading promotions, unwanted extras and unclear membership fees, with around £441,000 in refunds ordered.
Daniel Whitmore · 2 min readGovernment Launches Consultation on Bogus Self-Employment Affecting Up to 900,000 Workers
Ministers have opened a 12-week consultation on employment status reforms aimed at preventing workers from being wrongly classified as self-employed, with up to 900,000 people potentially affected.
Daniel Whitmore · 2 min readGovernment Considers Financial Rewards for Whistleblowers Reporting Economic Crime
A new government consultation seeks views on financial incentives for people who report serious economic crime and reforms to whistleblower protections.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readGovernment intervenes in BT–TalkTalk takeover as Nandy warns of ‘risk to life’
The Government has formally intervened in BT's £400 million rescue of TalkTalk after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy warned that disruption to its telecoms services could create a genuine risk to life and public services.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readNew £2.20 vaping tax comes into force across the UK today
A new UK-wide excise duty on vaping products has come into force, charging £2.20 for every 10ml of vaping liquid manufactured in or imported into the country.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readUK defence spending with British industry reaches record £34.1bn
Ministry of Defence figures show spending with UK industry and commerce reached a record £34.1 billion in 2025/26, up 3.2% in real terms.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readBentley completes £350m UK investment as automotive commitments top £1bn in seven days
Bentley has completed a £350 million investment at its Crewe plant as the Government says automotive investment announcements have topped £1 billion in seven days.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readIneos mothballs three UK chemical plants as Ratcliffe attacks energy costs
Ineos is suspending production at three chemical units in Hull, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe blaming high gas prices and carbon costs for making UK manufacturing uncompetitive.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readBurnham to press EU for UK inclusion in ‘Made in Europe’ scheme
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to argue that Britain should be treated as a trusted partner under the EU’s emerging ‘Made in Europe’ rules, amid concern over the effect on UK steel and automotive supply chains.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readLib Dems demand special administration for Thames Water and customer-owned water companies
The Liberal Democrats have called for failing water companies to become customer-owned mutuals and for Thames Water to be placed immediately into special administration.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readMcLaren announces £500m UK expansion creating 1,000 jobs in major manufacturing boost
McLaren Automotive is investing around £500 million to expand its UK manufacturing and engineering operations, creating 1,000 jobs by 2032 and potentially supporting thousands more across the supply chain.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readGovernment moves to bring Speciality Steel UK into public ownership in bid to protect 1,300 jobs
The Government will work towards the public acquisition of Speciality Steel UK after rejecting a private-sector proposal, with more than 1,300 jobs supported across four sites.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readUK economy grows 0.4% in July as GDP smashes forecasts
The UK economy grew by 0.4% in July, significantly beating expectations for no growth, as services and computer programming helped drive the stronger-than-expected performance.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readJaguar Land Rover confirms 4,000 job cuts as carmaker targets £1.7bn savings
Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed plans to cut around 4,000 jobs globally over two years as the carmaker targets £1.7 billion of savings, with ministers preparing further talks with the company.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readHealey unveils £150m fund to back fast-growing businesses across North of England
Chancellor John Healey is unveiling a £150 million British Business Bank fund offering investments of £5 million to £15 million to fast-growing companies across the North of England.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readGovernment rules out taxpayer bailout for Jaguar Land Rover as thousands of jobs face axe
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has ruled out a taxpayer-funded bailout for Jaguar Land Rover as the carmaker prepares major job cuts, while leaving the door open to support for long-term investment.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readGovernment launches business red-tape overhaul with more firms set to escape audits and reporting rules
The Government has announced plans to simplify UK corporate reporting, potentially exempting some medium-sized companies from audits and removing reporting requirements for thousands of smaller firms.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readBadenoch sacks Mel Stride as Andrew Griffith becomes Shadow Chancellor
Kemi Badenoch has removed Sir Mel Stride as Shadow Chancellor and promoted Andrew Griffith to lead the Conservatives' economic team, with Claire Coutinho taking over the business brief.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readBurnham launches ‘cowboy builders’ and bailiffs crackdown — but flagship trader scheme will be voluntary
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has launched a crackdown on rogue builders and private bailiffs, including a new Approved Code and milestone-linked payment system — but participation in the flagship trader scheme will be voluntary.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readReform UK pledges to scrap GDPR and replace it with 'light-touch' privacy regime
Reform UK has pledged to replace the UK's GDPR framework with a lighter-touch privacy regime modelled on New Zealand as part of a wider package aimed at small businesses.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readTravelodge chief steps down amid political pressure over hotel security
Travelodge chief executive Joanna Boydell is stepping down after the hotel company faced sustained political scrutiny over guest security and its room-access procedures.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readZia Yusuf Threatens Vodafone Directors With Prison Over Care4Calais SIM Cards
Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf has warned Vodafone chief executive Margherita Della Valle and the company’s directors that they could face prison under a future Reform government if SIM cards continue to be supplied through Care4Calais.
Charlotte Mercer · 6 min readGovernment Contracts to Give Greater Weight to British Jobs and Skills
Businesses bidding for major central government contracts will receive greater credit for creating local jobs, apprenticeships, training and work placements under procurement rules taking effect in January 2027.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readWhitbread to Close Remaining Beefeater Restaurants, Citing Rising Cost Pressures
Whitbread has announced plans to close all remaining Beefeater restaurants, saying significant cost increases, including measures announced in the Government's Autumn Budget, have made the business unsustainable.
Staff member · 2 min read