The government has agreed to reconsider its decision not to compensate millions of women affected by state pension age rises, after new evidence emerged during ongoing legal proceedings. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told MPs that ministers will withdraw from a forthcoming judicial review brought by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign, while the newly uncovered material ...
Grocery price inflation eased to its lowest level in more than two years last month as supermarkets increased discounts to attract cost-conscious shoppers in the run-up to the chancellor’s budget and the Christmas trading season. According to new data from Worldpanel by Numerator, grocery inflation slowed to 4.7 per cent in the four weeks to 2 November, down from 5.2 ...
The spirit of British enterprise took centre stage once again at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2025, held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, where the nation’s most innovative, resilient and purpose-driven businesses were celebrated in a glittering evening of recognition and entertainment Following last year’s show-stopping ceremony where Trinny Woodall received the prestigious Inspiration Award, the 2025 edition continued ...
Used car retailer Motorpoint has reported a sharp rise in profits after embracing artificial intelligence to power its online sales. The London-listed firm said it sold hundreds of cars through its new AI agent, which has become a key part of its digital sales strategy. Chief executive Mark Carpenter said the technology, known internally as Lily, had helped the company ...
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is shutting down some of his final remaining business ventures, including Pitch@Palace Global Ltd, once seen as a potential source of private income after the King withdrew financial support. Pitch@Palace began as a Dragon’s Den-style initiative allowing entrepreneurs to pitch start-up ideas to investors, backed by the then Duke of York. It attracted global attention and corporate sponsors ...
More than six million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the globe are calling on world leaders to take urgent and coordinated action to support business-led climate progress, warning that the path to net zero will stall without their inclusion. In an open letter released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, the SME Climate Hub and ...
After a decade of rapid growth, Britain’s employee ownership movement is hitting the brakes. New tax rules introduced in last year’s Budget have curbed the number of business owners selling to their staff, following a clampdown on offshore trusts used to sidestep capital gains tax (CGT). The Employee Ownership Association (EOA) reports that company sales to employee ownership trusts (EOTs) ...
The UK government has unveiled a new £75 million strategy to accelerate the phase-out of animal testing in scientific research, setting out a clear roadmap to replace existing experiments with cutting-edge alternatives such as organ-on-a-chip systems, artificial intelligence modelling, and 3D bioprinted human tissues. Science Minister Lord Vallance announced the plan on Tuesday, calling it a “roadmap for innovation and ...
Lord Anthony Bamford, the billionaire chairman of JCB and one of the Conservatives’ most prolific donors, has donated £200,000 to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, signalling growing business support for the populist party. JCB confirmed the contribution on Saturday, stating that it had donated the same amount to both the Conservative Party and Reform UK in recent weeks. “Both the Conservative ...
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to announce a landmark whistleblower reward scheme that will pay informants a share of the taxes recovered from exposing large-scale fraud — a first for the UK. According to the Financial Times, the initiative will be unveiled in the Autumn Budget later this month as part of the government’s wider “Close the Tax Gap” strategy. ...