As it happened: Choppy finish for FTSE 100 as global markets rocked by AI sell-off Markets Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Businesses have raised the alarm over falling vacancies as new data showed a further weakening in the jobs market. Vacancies remained at a five-year low in April 2026, with a leading industry group saying recruiters were “pausing” plans to hire workers. The British Chambers of Commerce’s head of [...]
‘Absolutely bonkers’: Labour minister hits back at Trump’s criticism of China trade Politics A Labour minister has hit back at comments from President Donald Trump that trading with China was “very dangerous” for the UK. Sir Chris Bryant, who has served as trade minister since September 2025, said it would be “absolutely bonkers” for the UK not to do business with China. “You have to challenge China on [...]
Autumn Budget: JCB boss calls on Reeves not to do anything ‘daft’ Business The chief executive of JCB has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves not to do anything “daft” in her Autumn Budget which would deter inward investment. Graeme Macdonald, who leads the Staffordshire-headquartered manufacturing giant under chairman Lord Anthony Bamford, said he’s “not optimistic” about the Budget next month, adding that Reeves is “definitely” going to raise [...]
Aga Rangemaster cuts jobs and raises prices as UK demand falls September 2, 2025 Aga Rangemaster has continued to cut jobs as it battles falling demand in the UK and prepares for the rising costs from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The business, which is headquartered near Nottingham, has said it is raising prices in order to attempt to offset the increased costs from US tariffs but that their [...]
Jaguar Land Rover: Trump’s tariffs cost car maker millions August 8, 2025 Jaguar Land Rover has revealed how much US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have impacted its finances during the first three months of its financial year. The car maker has confirmed that its revenue in the three months to 30 June, 2025, fell by 9.2 per cent to £6.6bn. Its pre-tax profit was also slashed by [...]
When it comes to Sadiq Khan, we all agree with Donald Trump – right? August 7, 2025 President Trump insulting Sadiq Khan comes as no surprise. That no one rushed to defend him is much more revealing, argues James Ford We should be in the midst of a lively public discourse about Sadiq Khan’s character, intellect and performance. Ordinarily, if the leader of the free world claimed that the mayor of the [...]
Stellantis: Vauxhall owner warns of £1.3bn tariff hit after EU-US deal July 29, 2025 Stellantis will have to shoulder a €1.5bn (£1.3bn) hit from President Donald Trump’s swingeing tariffs on cars this year despite the trade deal struck between the European Union and United States earlier this week. The automaker, whose stable of marques includes Vauxhall and Fiat, confirmed in a half-year update that it had already incurred levies [...]
Rolls-Royce banking on bespoke cars to attract super-rich July 23, 2025 Wealthy buyers seeking to personalise their new Rolls-Royce helped boost the luxury car brand’s profit in 2024 despite falling sales. The Hampshire-based business, which is owned by BMW, said its bespoke service reached a record level last year with a 10 per cent increase on average per car year-on-year. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars added the rise [...]