‘Alarming’ drop in UK consumer confidence over last year August 16, 2025 Consumer confidence in the future UK economy has plummeted over the last year, figures suggest. Confidence has tumbled by 31 points over the last year, from an average of minus nine between May and July 2024 to an average of minus 40 between May and July this year, Which?’s Consumer Insight Tracker shows. On average [...]
Trump teases second Ukraine summit hours before Putin meeting August 15, 2025 European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer could attend a second meeting with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky which could bring the war in Ukraine to an end, the US president has said. On the eve of the summit, Mr Trump said leaders from Europe, which could include members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” that [...]
Rent on newly-let homes falls for first time in five years after ‘relentless’ rise August 11, 2025 Average rents on newly-let homes have fallen for the first time in around five years, according to a property firm. Across Britain, the average rent on a newly-let property fell by 0.2 per cent year-on-year in July, marking the first annual decline since August 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, Hamptons said. Despite [...]
Housebuilders in focus amid Labour’s planning reforms push August 10, 2025 UK housebuilders will be in sharp focus as the sector grapples with construction woes, despite the Government ploughing ahead with plans to stimulate more building. Persimmon and Balfour Beatty will announce their half-year results on Wednesday, and Bellway will provide a trading update on Tuesday. York-based developer Persimmon said in May that forward sales – [...]
Over 100 civil servants set to be axed in cull of security teams August 10, 2025 More than a hundred jobs could be cut from the organisation in charge of vetting people for security clearance as the Government looks to slim down the Civil Service. The Cabinet Office has proposed reducing the staff at UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to 780 full-time roles, down from its current level of just under 900, [...]
Lammy and Vance host national security advisers ahead of Trump-Putin summit August 9, 2025 The Foreign Secretary will host a meeting of allied national security advisers on Saturday as Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal in Ukraine. Downing Street announced that the meeting at David Lammy’s official country retreat, Chevening, would bring together advisers from the US, Europe and Ukraine to “discuss progress towards securing a just and [...]
THG sells flavour lab Claremont for £103m August 6, 2025 THG, the London-listed firm behind fitness supplement brand Myprotein, has announced the sale of flavour manufacturing and development lab Claremont. The company will sell Claremont for £103m to international flavour specialist, Nactarome Group, having purchased the business for £52m in late 2020. CityAM is part of THG Ingenuity, which was demerged from THG at the [...]
High street banks lost £100bn in customer savings to rivals since 2019 August 4, 2025 High street lenders have lost the equivalent of £100bn in customer savings to online banks and building societies as they come under pressure to adapt amid a major shift in the sector, according to a report. KPMG’s latest State of the Banks report found that traditional banking groups saw their market share in deposits drop [...]
Airline hails spike in premium bookings to the UK August 4, 2025 Airline Emirates has recorded a surge in bookings from affluent visitors to the UK, which it claimed is “driving forward economic growth” in the country.
Borrowing costs set to ease further as Bank contends with weaker jobs market August 3, 2025 Borrowing costs are set to ease further as the Bank of England contends with stagnant growth and rising unemployment, experts have predicted. Most economists think the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4% on Thursday. It could release pressure for some mortgage holders amid hopes that cheaper [...]
