Britain’s retailers are losing more than £146 million each year by failing to modernise their estates in line with net zero targets, new research has warned. Analysis by Mitsubishi Electric found that outdated heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are leaking energy and inflating costs across one of the UK’s most energy-intensive industries. Despite recognition that sustainability can boost ...
Britain’s small and medium-sized enterprises are falling behind on climate commitments, with just one in eight classed as “net zero ready” as tougher sustainability reporting rules approach. According to Aldermore’s latest Green SME Index, progress towards decarbonisation has stalled among small businesses despite looming deadlines and potential financial gains. From 2026, some firms will be required to comply with new ...
WH Davis, the UK’s last surviving independent railway wagon manufacturer, is set to expand its workforce by a quarter after securing a €44 million export contract with Ireland. The Derbyshire-based company, part of Buckland Rail, will supply 150 freight wagons to Iarnród Éireann, Ireland’s state-owned rail operator, in a deal supported by UK Export Finance (UKEF). Production is due to ...
I’m with President Trump: ‘There’s no deal until there’s a deal.’ And now that he has changed his stance and is openly siding with Vladimir Putin, despite vehement objections from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who visited the White House yesterday, a deal seems rather elusive. Putin’s interest in peace is underscored by his continued bombardment of Ukraine, the country he illegally invaded, ...
A majority of Britain’s millionaires believe they would enjoy a better quality of life overseas, as higher taxes and the rising cost of living fuel unease among the wealthy. A survey of 1,000 people with a net worth of at least £1 million found that 60 per cent thought life would be better abroad, while just over half said they ...
The UK is rejecting record numbers of visa applications, raising fears that tightening immigration rules could choke off the flow of international talent needed by British businesses. Fresh analysis of Home Office data by immigration consultancy Immpact shows that more than 664,000 applications for work, student, family and visitor visas were turned down in the 12 months to September 2024. ...
Britain is heading towards a demographic tipping point, with pensioners set to make up more than a quarter of the adult population by 2075, according to an official review into the state pension age. Suzy Morrissey, the independent reviewer appointed to examine the long-term sustainability of the state pension, said the number of people of pensionable age or older would ...
Maven Capital Partners has invested £2.6 million in PowerPhotonic, the precision optics specialist whose technology underpins high-power laser systems used in aerospace, defence, healthcare and semiconductor manufacturing. The deal, which includes backing from the Maven Income and Growth VCTs and IFS Maven Equity Finance – part of the Investment Fund for Scotland, managed by Maven and delivered by the British ...
Traders brace for inflation data and public finance update as long-term government debt hits levels last seen in 1998 Government borrowing costs climbed sharply on Monday, with the interest rate on 30-year UK gilts rising to levels not seen in nearly three decades. The yield on 30-year bonds — which moves inversely to prices — rose 0.05 percentage points to ...
Reports suggest stamp duty may be replaced with a levy on homes worth more than £500,000, with London and South East owners hit hardest Homeowners could face an annual property tax on homes worth more than £500,000 under radical Treasury plans to replace stamp duty, according to reports. The autumn budget could include proposals for a proportional property tax, shifting ...