James Reed: V-levels are Labour’s best idea yet March 25, 2026 Middle-class prejudice towards vocational paths has held the UK back. I welcome Labour's V-level push, writes James Reed.
Price growth set to almost double yet interest rate hike uncertain March 25, 2026 Price growth could jump to as high as five per cent within months, economists have said, leaving the outlook for interest rates more uncertain. Top City economists said they expected inflation to rise to nearly double the rate seen just before war in the Middle East broke out, leaving the Bank of England with a [...]
Iran mocks Trump’s peace talks as oil price takes sharp drop March 25, 2026 The Iranian regime has mocked claims from Donald Trump that talks to end the war were progressing as markets struggle to digest a mixed bag of messages. Tehran downplayed expectations of any immediate ceasefire, following emerging reports that the US had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan. The President said the US was in “productive” talks [...]
Regulator unveils major overhaul to its audit supervision March 25, 2026 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is introducing a major overhaul of its audit supervisory model, aiming to replace the current system with one designed to enhance audit quality. The accountancy watchdog is moving its primary focus to a system of quality management (SoQM), placing firm-wide quality controls at the heart of its new supervisory activity. [...]
Inflation stays above Bank of England’s target before Iran war March 25, 2026 Inflation in the year to February remained well above the Bank of England’s target rate in the last piece of price data covering the period before war in the Middle East erupted. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that CPI inflation over the 12 month period was three per cent, staying flat on the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks soar as Trump claims ‘victory’ in Iran; Economists clash on inflation March 25, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Fresh figures this morning revealed inflation rose three per cent in the year to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January 2026. Grant Fitzner said: “The largest upwards driver was the price of clothing, which rose this month but fell a year ago. “This was offset [...]
A grassroots crypto campaign just forced its way into the House of Lords. Now it wants to reshape British banking March 25, 2026 When Stand With Crypto UK launched a petition calling for a national stablecoin strategy six months ago, few expected it to end up in the corridors of Westminster, but as the petition closed with almost 85,000 signatures it had already more than achieved the petitioners’ aims. Stand With Crypto UK, a grassroots organisation, can now [...]
UK payments system is deceptively complex March 25, 2026 Beneath every tap of your card is a complex web of payment systems you don't even notice – and we mustn't fall behind, writes Keith Douglas.
The UK went into this crisis weak and may emerge from it broken March 25, 2026 Keir Starmer may take every opportunity to stress that the UK isn’t involved in the war and wanted nothing to do with it, but our economy is nevertheless entirely at the mercy of events taking place 4,000 miles away. The prospect of a negotiated settlement (at least anytime soon) feels remote and that uncertainty is [...]
Unemployment is rising and top bosses want to do something about it March 25, 2026 Business giants have come together to find ways of hiring more people currently out of work as private sector bosses move to play a more active role in improving the state of the UK labour market. Company chiefs from the likes of BT, Shell, Marks & Spencer and Pret have joined a new, non-governmental ‘Employer [...]