Business News

Firstgroup quietly ends long-running employee director policy

FirstGroup, once a pioneer of employee representation on boards, has scrapped its employee director role amid business restructuring—marking a setback for the worker voice movement. Read more: Firstgroup quietly ends long-running employee directo...

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Record fall in British exports to us as Trump tariffs bite

UK exports to the US dropped by £2bn in April — the steepest monthly fall since 1997 — following President Trump’s new tariffs. Trade front-loading in Q1 gave way to sharp decline. Read more: Record fall in British exports to us as Trump tar...

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Oxford Said alumni win £700k UKRI backing to power Nigeria with clean, off-grid energy

Oxford Saïd Business School alumni secure £700k from UKRI to develop solar and wind hybrid systems for off-grid communities in Nigeria, tackling the world’s largest energy access gap. Read more: Oxford Said alumni win £700k UKRI backing to pow...

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Mary Portas leads Westminster rally for Better Business Act as momentum grows for purpose-led reform

Retail icon Mary Portas joins 150+ business leaders in Parliament to call for urgent reform of UK company law through the Better Business Act, putting people and planet on par with profit. Read more: Mary Portas leads Westminster rally for Better B...

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Poundland sold for just £1 as up to 200 stores face closure amid major restructuring

High Street favourite Poundland sold for £1 to Gordon Brothers in a bid to stabilise the business, with up to 200 stores at risk of closure and 16,000 jobs hanging in the balance. Read more: Poundland sold for just £1 as up to 200 stores face clo...

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Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney over ‘bottomless pit of plagiarism’

Disney and Universal have filed a landmark lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, accusing the San Francisco-based company of large-scale copyright infringement and calling its tools a “bottomless pit of plagiarism”. Read more: Disney a...

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Gold surpasses euro as second-largest global reserve asset, says ECB

Gold has overtaken the euro as the world’s second-largest reserve asset after the US dollar, driven by geopolitical risks and central banks seeking safe-haven diversification, says the ECB. Read more: Gold surpasses euro as second-largest global ...

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UK economy contracts 0.3% in April as growth momentum stalls

UK GDP shrank by 0.3% in April, worse than expected, with services and manufacturing sectors in decline. Economists warn of a slowing economy after early-year export surge. Read more: UK economy contracts 0.3% in April as growth momentum stalls ...

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Government’s spending surge to trigger significant tax rises, says leading advisory firm

Blick Rothenberg warns tax rises are inevitable to fund spending increases in the latest UK Spending Review, including defence, training and energy projects. Read more: Government’s spending surge to trigger significant tax rises, says leading ad...

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House of Lords AI summit at London Tech Week warns of ‘skills cliff edge’ threatening UK’s competitive future

As London Tech Week puts the global spotlight on Britain’s tech credentials, the House of Lords summit served as a timely reminder: the transformative power of AI must be matched by responsible governance, upskilling, and cross-sector collaboratio...

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