Harry Potter and the Cursed Child maker remains in the red amid West End troubles December 20, 2024 The company behind the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play remains in the red amid falling sales and show closures, it has been revealed. The joint venture which produces the show across the world has reported a turnover of £41.3m for the year to 31 March, 2024, down from the £45.2m it achieved [...]
UK retail sales rise slightly in November amid concern over golden quarter December 20, 2024 The latest ONS data showed retail sales jumped 0.2 per cent last month, following a 0.7 per cent fall in October.
Government borrowing plummets thanks to rising tax take December 20, 2024 Government borrowing dropped to £11.4bn in November, £3.4bn lower than last year, as higher tax receipts and lower debt interest gave the government a much needed boost. With the lowest November borrowing in three years, the current budget deficit, or amount of borrowing to fund day-to-day public sector activities, also dropped by more than a [...]
Lord Peter Mandelson expected to be named next ambassador to US December 20, 2024 Labour grandee Lord Peter Mandelson is expected to be the next UK ambassador to the US. Lord Mandelson, who served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is poised to be the UK’s next top diplomat in Washington, in a political appointment as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office. The tenure of [...]
New HS2 chief can’t be sorry for £100m bat shed December 19, 2024 Mark Wild said construction of the structure in Buckinghamshire was the "most appropriate" way to "comply with the law."
Bank of England may be forced to prioritise growth in 2025 December 19, 2024 Despite inflation continuing to be a headache for the Bank of England, leading it to hold interest rates today, the central bank may end up being forced to make more cuts than it would like in 2025 to salvage the UK economy. While today’s decision from Andrew Bailey’s Monetary Policy Committee to hold rates had [...]
The Capitalist: Bunking off work and rationing at Christmas time December 19, 2024 Not turning up for work, an end to bonuses and mindfulness goes out the window: it’s the Christmas edition of The Capitalist Bunking off? That’s the festive spirit As the days and hours creep encouragingly towards that great long stretch of dead time we call Christmas, the topic of skiving off from work has become [...]
Sales skyrocket at London Waterloo after biggest ever Wetherspoons opens December 19, 2024 Sales at London Waterloo shops have soared to the top of a leader-board of Britain’s busiest train stations, following the opening of the UK’s largest ever railway station Wetherspoons. The London hub reported the most quarterly sales growth of any of the 19 stations Network Rail runs in the UK, up 47 per cent year-on-year, [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates and downgrades growth forecasts December 19, 2024 The Bank of England held interest rates at 4.75 per cent today, while downgrading economic forecasts for the UK towards stagnant growth. Only six members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep interest rates steady, less than had been expected, as three voted to cut rates by 0.25 per cent citing fears over [...]
BT successfully fights off £1.3bn ‘overcharging’ class action December 19, 2024 Telecoms giant BT has successfully defended a £1.3bn class action over allegations it “disproportionately overcharged” its landline customers