Rail regulator orders HS1 to slash spending on Eurostar route January 6, 2025 The Office of Rail and Road has ordered HS1 to lower its spending from April 2025, after finding it did not meet its duties for efficient spending. The 109km high-speed rail line was ordered to bring charges down by 3.8 per cent compared to its latest plans, saving passengers and freight trains as much as [...]
Business confidence slumps in ‘pressure cooker’ of higher taxes January 6, 2025 The British Chamber of Commerce's quarterly survey showed that 63 per cent of firms cited tax as a worry in the final quarter of last year, up from 48 per cent in the third quarter.
UK economy to stage ‘welcome recovery’ thanks to consumer rebound January 6, 2025 The firm forecast that GDP will increase by 1.7 per cent over 2025, double the 0.8 per cent expansion anticipated for 2024.
7 productivity hacks to make the return to the office less miserable January 5, 2025 Back to the office this week? Productivity expert Emily Austen shares her 7 hacks to survive the first week back.
Elon Musk’s attacks on Jess Phillips a ‘disgraceful smear’, Streeting says January 5, 2025 Wes Streeting has said attacks made by Elon Musk on Jess Phillips over grooming gangs are a “disgraceful smear” considering the Labour minister’s efforts to support victims of abuse. The billionaire owner of social media platform X, Tesla and Space X suggested the safeguarding minister “deserves to be in prison” for denying requests for the [...]
Musk says Farage ‘doesn’t have what it takes’ to lead Reform UK January 5, 2025 Elon Musk has said Nigel Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead Reform UK, just weeks after the pair had a “great” meeting in the US. The owner of Tesla and X – the social media site formerly known as Twitter – met with Farage in December at US President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, [...]
Ukraine to seek allies’ help to boost air defences, says Zelensky January 5, 2025 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will again call on allies to boost its air defences at this week’s meeting in Germany, as US President-elect Donald Trump takes over later this month with a vow to end the almost three-year war quickly. Zelensky said dozens of partner countries will participate in the meeting of [...]
Lack of winter fuel payment ‘might be unpopular’ as snow falls, Streeting admits January 5, 2025 Wes Streeting has acknowledged withdrawing winter fuel payments from pensioners “might be unpopular” following health service advice to keep home heated during this weekend’s cold snap. The Health Secretary faced questions on Sunday about his advice to “turn the heating on”, after heavy overnight snowfall of up to 12cm in parts of the country. Conservative [...]
Tesco and Sainsbury’s to shed light on Christmas sales performance January 5, 2025 The UK’s biggest supermarket groups will shed light next week on how they fared over the key Christmas period amid pressure on shoppers’ budgets. Tesco and Sainsbury’s will both provide third-quarter updates for investors and analysts, where they will reveal their sales for the weeks running up to Christmas. Both grocers are expected to reveal [...]
Reform UK chair says 46,000 members joined in last half of December January 4, 2025 More than 46,000 people joined Reform UK in the last two weeks of December, the party chairman told supporters amid a spat with the Tories over membership numbers. Zia Yusuf asked party members at a Reform UK conference in Chelmsford, Essex – part of Kemi Badenoch’s North West Essex constituency – to give a “big [...]