Category: News

First-time buyers could soon find it easier to step onto the property ladder under proposals to relax mortgage rules, as financial regulators explore ways to enable “responsible risk-taking” among borrowers.

Aston Martin eyes a historic £1bn deal to lure Max Verstappen, challenging Red Bull’s dominance and heralding a new era of big-money investments in Formula One.

Dyson scraps its £100m Bristol expansion and relocates 180 staff to Malmesbury in Wiltshire, citing the benefits of greater collaboration. The move follows job cuts and founder Sir James Dyson’s criticism of the UK’s tax regime.

Asos to close its main US warehouse in Georgia, taking a £200m impairment charge to boost profitability. The fashion giant will serve American shoppers from a UK facility and a smaller US site, cutting costs while slowing delivery times.

Mitchells & Butlers, operator of Harvester and Toby Carvery, reports strong festive sales but cautions on a “material adverse impact” from poor weather. Rising labour costs after the budget add further pressure, yet analysts highlight M&B’s underlying resilience.

Britain’s vital west coast main line faces up to ten years of closures in a £3.84bn upgrade of overhead wires, signals and track. Discover how these essential works will disrupt travel between Scotland and England, with weeks-long shutdowns each year from 2026.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to dismiss a second Budget in March, pointing to global market pressures and reaffirming her fiscal rules. Meanwhile, gilt sales signal rising yields and potential headwinds for her economic plans.

Regional hiring in the UK has plunged by 45pc amid Rachel Reeves’s NI increases, with recruitment firm Robert Walters citing waning confidence. Labour’s employment law overhaul could add further pressure on employers.

West End retailers face a £44.5m annual rise in business rates, prompting fears of store closures and job losses as new government reforms pile pressure on high-street shops.

Senior Lloyds bankers could lose part of their bonuses for failing to meet a two-day office attendance rule, as employers across the UK tighten remote working policies.

Rachel Reeves faces mounting pressure as the cost of borrowing soars and Labour’s poll rating collapses, with Reform UK edging within a point of Labour. Despite speculation, Sir Keir Starmer pledges she will remain chancellor until 2029.

Charlie Mullins, former Pimlico Plumbers boss, backs Reform UK after leaving Britain over tax hikes by the new Labour government, with Nigel Farage urging him to run for office.

Morrisons publicly supports farmers in a standoff with Sir Keir Starmer’s Government over planned inheritance tax changes on farmland. Protests loom amid fears smaller family farms could be forced to sell land or face crippling tax bills.

Keir Starmer launches the “AI Opportunities Action Plan” to position Britain as a global AI leader, pledging flexible regulations, major investments, and 13,000 new tech jobs.

Fears rise over 2,700 jobs at Spirit Aerosystems’ Belfast factory amid a stalled takeover by Boeing and a partial buyout by Airbus, leaving the future of Northern Ireland’s largest private employer hanging in the balance.