Business

Chancellor Rachel Reeves used a rare Downing Street address to lay the groundwork for her upcoming Budget, signalling that tough tax decisions lie ahead — but sought to pre-empt backlash by insisting the pressure on public finances “wasn’t our fault”. In the speech, she said the UK economy was struggling not because of Labour’s policies but because of “longer-term factors” …

OpenAI has signed a landmark $38 billion agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to secure the immense computing power required to train and deploy its next generation of artificial intelligence systems — marking one of the biggest technology infrastructure deals ever struck. The partnership, announced this week, will give the maker of ChatGPT access to vast fleets of graphics processors …

Britain has taken the global food crown in Deliveroo’s much-anticipated 2025 “Deliveroo 100 Report”, which charts the most popular and fastest-rising delivery trends across nine countries. London’s Papo’s Bagels topped the global list with its “Classic” smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel — the world’s number one order on Deliveroo this year — leading a record 16 UK dishes that …

Nearly half of Britain’s shop workers are abused or attacked every week, according to new research exposing the human toll of the UK’s worsening retail crime crisis. The Retail Trust, which supports wellbeing across the retail sector, found that 43 per cent of shop floor employees had faced verbal or physical abuse on a weekly basis, while one in four …

British households have reined in spending on gyms, streaming subscriptions and gaming over the past year, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to reshape consumer habits. New data from MoneySuperMarket’s Household Money Index, which tracks the income and spending patterns of 8,000 consumers across 31 categories, shows steep declines in discretionary spending, suggesting that households are choosing long-term financial security over …

Artificial intelligence is fast becoming Britain’s most popular financial adviser, with more than half of adults now using platforms such as ChatGPT to help them make decisions about money, according to new research commissioned by Lloyds Banking Group. The study found that 56 per cent of UK adults — equivalent to 28.8 million people — have turned to AI tools …

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned that Britain’s smallest exporters are being “left behind” as larger firms benefit from new trade agreements, calling for urgent government action to help smaller businesses expand overseas. According to the BCC’s latest Quarterly Trade Confidence Report, only 16 per cent of micro exporters — companies with fewer than ten employees — reported …

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has launched a stinging attack on Chancellor Rachel Reeves, claiming her tax policies are “dooming” Britain’s economy, even as his budget airline posted record half-year profits fuelled by rising ticket prices and surging passenger numbers. Speaking at the airline’s results presentation, O’Leary accused the Labour government of pursuing policies that would deter investment and weaken growth. …

HSBC has become the first major UK lender since the financial crisis to offer homebuyers loans worth up to 6.5 times their salary, in a move signalling the loosening of mortgage lending rules across the banking sector. The new deal, launched this week for HSBC Premier account holders, raises the maximum income multiple available on residential loans beyond that of …

What was once a rather niche segment of entertainment has, in the past years, grown into one of the most lucrative industries in the digital economy. Recently, UK investors have shown a keen interest in this growing market, recognizing in it a mix of creativity and technology that brings stable long-term growth. As the industry continues to grow across platforms-from …