Ed Miliband in China for climate meetings amid new investment approach March 14, 2025 Energy secretary Ed Miliband is in China for climate meetings in a bid to restart the government’s environmental dialogue with the Asian nation. The energy security and net zero secretary will meet Chinese counterparts Wang Hongzhi and Huang Runqiu to pursue efforts to work jointly to slash emissions, the government said. It marks the first [...]
Shein confirms listing plans with London in the spotlight March 14, 2025 Fast fashion titan Shein has confirmed its plans to float on the stock market, and hasn’t ruled out listing in London. Chief executive Donald Tang told The Times that the firm wanted to go public to increase “accountability and transparency”. The brand had not previously confirmed a timeline for an IPO. Yet, reports suggest the [...]
Reeves to announce £2bn defence boost to secure more orders from allies March 14, 2025 The government has pledged an extra £2bn to support UK defence exporters in a bid to unlock more orders from international allies. This increases the lending capacity of the UK Export Finance’s (UKEF), the country’s official export credit agency, to £10bn. The UKEF’s Direct Lending scheme provides loans to other countries, which allow them to [...]
GDP shrinks in January as UK economy prepares for upcoming tax hikes March 14, 2025 The UK economy underperformed expectations in January. According to the latest set of gross domestic product (GDP) figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the economy shrank by 0.1 per cent in January as output was dragged down by a sharp drop in output in the production sector. Over the three months to [...]
Infrastructure boom lifts Balfour Beatty, Kier Group and Costain March 14, 2025 London-listed construction firms Balfour Beatty, Kier Group, and Costain, have all reported robust results this week as the UK’s increasing prioritisation of major infrastructure projects starts to life the sector. Their combined order books now exceed more than £30bn and shareholders stand to benefit. All three of the companies hiked their dividends and shareholder returns alongside their [...]
Steel tariffs: US trade policy under Trump ‘challenging’, Reynolds admits March 13, 2025 The US tariff policy under President Donald Trump is proving “challenging” for Britain, the business and trade secretary has admitted. Jonathan Reynolds is in discussions with his US counterparts over Trump’s new 25 per cent tariff regime on steel and aluminium imports – but has not secured an exemption for the UK. It comes after [...]
Week in Business: Will Starmer Slash the State? March 13, 2025 Javier Milei, Elon Musk, and now Keir Starmer? The PM says he wants to reform the state - just don't call it austerity.
Trump tariff war set to send cost of Guinness soaring March 13, 2025 Donald Trump’s trade war is set to send the price of Guinness soaring to new highs, a financial expert has warned. Trump’s stand-off with Mexico and Canada, now followed by tariffs on Britain and the EU, is having a knock-on effect that might hit drinkers in the pocket. The price of a pint of Guinness [...]
Exclusive: HS2 should not re-negotiate contracts, says Balfour Beatty boss March 13, 2025 A scathing report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last month concluded HS2 Ltd's contracts were "unacceptable to the public purse" and that it was "imperative" the project delivered on its assurances to re-negotiate them.
Trainline shares tumble despite record sales ahead of national ticket app launch March 13, 2025 Trainline shares tanked on Thursday despite record full-year sales and the announcement of a £75m buyback programme. A bumper set of results failed to quell investor fears over the launch of a state-owned rival ticketing app in the UK, with the stock dropping more than 13 per cent in early deals. It came despite net [...]