TUC general secretary Paul Nowak has suggested Andy Burnham could call an early general election if Labour’s manifesto leaves too little room for change.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
Cigar importer says plain packaging would cut its range by 75 per cent
Hunters & Frankau says cigar plain packaging would force it to cut its portfolio by 75 per cent, as importers seek an exemption for hand-rolled cigars
Stardust has raised $75m to develop sunlight-reflecting particles
Israeli-American solar geoengineering start-up Stardust has raised $75m to develop particles that reflect sunlight, drawing criticism from campaigners.
World Cup and hot weather help UK economy grow 0.4 per cent in July
UK GDP growth reached 0.4 per cent in July, beating forecasts of no growth, with the ONS saying the World Cup and record hot weather lifted activity.
Monsoon founder to sell nearly 200 artworks estimated at up to £126.7m
Monsoon founder Peter Simon is selling nearly 200 works by artists including Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso in three Christie’s London sales in October.
IoD urges Healey to unlock private investment in Autumn Budget
The IoD Autumn Budget submission calls on the Chancellor to restore business confidence and unlock private investment, setting out five priorities.
Most organisations face data trust barrier to AI, Denodo study finds
A Denodo survey of 850 executives on agentic AI adoption finds 56 per cent of organisations say finding trustworthy data is a barrier to deploying AI.
Employment tribunal backlog hits record 70,000 single claims
The employment tribunal backlog of single claims hit a record 70,000 at the end of June, as a lawyer warns tribunals face even greater demand ahead.
England’s mayors to get tourist tax powers putting hundreds of jobs at risk
Mayors in England are to be given powers to impose a tourist tax on overnight stays, set as a percentage of accommodation costs with no national cap.
Anthropic did not submit Mythos 5.1 to UK AI Security Institute
Claude Mythos 5.1 went only to US vetting organisations, the first time Anthropic has bypassed the UK AI Security Institute before releasing a model.
Burnham tells MPs VAT comes off electricity bills next month
The electricity VAT cut takes effect from 1 October, the prime minister told MPs, as the SNP warned of a looming winter cost-of-living emergency.
British Business Bank launches £210m South East Investment Fund
The British Business Bank’s £210m South East Investment Fund, launched on 9 September, offers loans and equity to smaller firms from Kent to Oxfordshire.
Arm chief says AI will help cure cancer ‘in our lifetime’
Arm Holdings chief executive Rene Haas says an AI cancer cure will come in our lifetime, and predicts humanoid robots in wide use within five years.
UK’s third-biggest taxpayer Chris Rokos to leave for Greece
Chris Rokos, ranked third on The Sunday Times list of Britain’s top taxpayers, is to leave the UK for Greece, weeks before John Healey’s first budget
Policy unpredictability cost UK nearly £2tn in investment, study finds
An Oxford Economics study for Getlink and major airport owners finds weak business investment has cost the UK nearly £2tn since 2000, in a plea to Healey.
