The UK is set to ramp up its weapons manufacturing capabilities in a strategic move to reduce reliance on imports from the United States and France, amid growing concerns over the reliability of international defence partners. BAE Systems, Europe’s largest defence contractor, is spearheading the effort with plans to establish new domestic facilities for the production of critical munitions, including ...
London Gatwick has once again been named the UK’s most delay-prone airport, according to official figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Flights from the West Sussex airport departed an average of 23 minutes late in 2024 — the worst performance among Britain’s major airports for the second consecutive year. The delay figure marks a slight improvement on 2023, when ...
The founder of logistics firm Shift is attempting to block Polish delivery giant InPost’s £106 million acquisition of Yodel, escalating a bitter dispute over the struggling British courier’s ownership. Jacob Corlett, 31-year-old chief executive of Shift, is seeking a court injunction that could temporarily prevent InPost from making material changes to Yodel, though it would not stop the acquisition from ...
Mortgage completions soared by 50 per cent in March — the sharpest monthly rise in more than three years — as homebuyers raced to complete purchases ahead of changes to stamp duty thresholds. According to an analysis of Barclays lending data, first-time buyer activity surged even more dramatically, with completions jumping by 70 per cent compared to February. The rush ...
Charity shops across the UK are increasingly turning to online platforms in a bid to keep pace with the meteoric rise of second-hand fashion apps such as Vinted and Depop, as in-store sales come under pressure from rising costs and shifting consumer habits. New analysis from the Charity Retail Association (CRA) reveals that while physical shop income declined throughout 2024, ...
Drones could soon be deployed for NHS deliveries, offshore wind turbine inspections and supply missions to oil rigs under sweeping changes to the UK’s drone regulations planned for 2026. The government is preparing to allow drones to fly beyond the operator’s visual line of sight (BVLOS), a major step that would unlock long-distance missions across remote or hard-to-reach areas. Currently, ...
The head of Zopa has suggested that London’s political and regulatory stability could become a competitive advantage for the capital’s financial markets, as businesses increasingly look to escape growing uncertainty in the United States. Jaidev Janardana, chief executive of the digital bank, said concerns around a volatile tax and tariff regime in the US had prompted his company to reconsider ...
China has been cautioned against retaliating to President Trump’s aggressive new tariff regime by offloading its massive holdings of US government bonds — a move that analysts warn could damage its own economy more than it harms Washington. Earlier this month, Trump imposed sweeping tariffs of up to 145 per cent on Chinese exports to the US, sparking fears of ...