Weak demand for UK-manufactured goods has led to a further contraction in manufacturing output for the tenth month in a row. The UK manufacturing slump means fewer new orders, scarcer employment opportunities, and reduced activity overall. The highly anticipated S&P Global/ CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI survey revealed a drop to 47.1 in May, down from […]
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Labout has announced it will stop issuing any new oil and gas drilling licences if it wins the next general election. Sir Keir Starmer’s government would instead invest heavily in renewable sources – wind, solar hydro – and nuclear power “to invest in the green jobs of the future ”, reduce bills and “create a […]
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Ministers, MPs and retail bosses have warned Rishi Sunak that his plans for voluntary food price caps will lead to shortages on shelves and “not make a jot difference” to prices. Government ministers are also part of a growing backlash against the proposal to ask supermarkets and retailers to agree maximum prices for basic items […]
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England’s most polluting water company is handing more than £300 million to shareholders despite profits slumping by more than 25%. It comes a day after Severn Trent announced it was paying its shareholders an increased dividend of £261 million. Earlier this month the Financial Times reported that Britain’s privatised water and sewage companies paid £1.4 billion […]
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The Bank of England has raised the UK interest rate for the 12th consecutive time, hiking the base rate from 4.25% to 4.5% – the highest level in 15 years. The decision by the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to raise the interest rate will increase mortgage costs for homeowners. Increasing the cost of borrowing […]
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When 4 Day Week Global not-for-profit organisation launched its pilot in the UK, few expected the results to be so overwhelmingly positive. Better mental health and well-being among staff, alongside significantly higher productivity, transpired during the trial across different industries. A large proportion of participating businesses went on to permanently introduce the four-day workweek. Now, […]
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With inflation still higher than anticipated and an imminent interest rate hike, the social impact of the cost of living crisis will likely deepen, especially among young people. A new UK Youth survey among 16-25-year-olds highlights that the cost of living crisis is negatively affecting mental health and social well-being. Thousands of young people feel […]
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The AA is urging the government to go further and scrap all existing smart motorways after plans to extend the network were cancelled. The UK’s largest motoring organisation has joined bereaved families of people killed on smart motorways to axe all of them immediately. Campaigners say that 75 people have died on smart motorways where […]
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Nurses have rejected the government’s deal to end their industrial action and pencilled in two days of escalated strikes from 8pm on April 30 to 8pm on May 2. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) voted 54% to 46% to reject the offer of a 5% pay rise and one-off cash bonus for […]
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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has admitted industrial strikes have hit the UK economy which recorded zero growth in February. Hunt has ruled out awarding higher pay deals for public sector workers to end the strikes, insisting such a move would be inflationary and have a damaging impact on the economy. Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures […]
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