There is a question about fuel security that most of us probably never think about until the petrol station is empty. How many filling stations could Highland lose before everyday life began to break down? It is a particularly relevant question after what has happened in Ukraine this summer.
As Canada gets ready to counter Donald Trump Tariffs and Canadians are trying to avoid American products as new tariffs will soon b implemented. So we take look at food in the UK.
The countdown to the Budget has already begun, and Westminster's annual guessing game over taxation is becoming increasingly intense. By 28 October we will know what Chancellor John Healey has decided, but until then there is plenty of room for speculation.
Britain is becoming a much more digital economy. We tap cards and phones to pay for coffee, use online banking rather than visiting branches and increasingly expect even small purchases to be completed electronically.
Most of us probably assume that if we buy something from a reputable shop, website or well-known brand, it is safe. That is a perfectly reasonable assumption.
The oil price falls below $89 is telling us that the oil market is currently putting more weight on the possibility of easing geopolitical tensions and weaker demand than on the very serious supply problems in the Middle East. Brent fell by more than 3% today, reaching about $89.10 a barrel, while WTI fell to about $82.08.
£1.7 million investment in detoxification and residential rehabilitation in the Highlands and Islands. More people across the Highlands and Islands will be able to access residential rehabilitation – including dedicated detoxification services – thanks to a £1.7 million Scottish Government investment in CrossReach services in Inverness.
Canada could use potash as a weapon against US farmers, and it would be a particularly powerful lever because the United States is unusually dependent on Canada for this fertiliser. But there is an important twist: Canada has just chosen not to use that weapon in its latest retaliation.
There is a point at which individual increases in household costs stop being individual problems and become something much bigger. A £100 increase in the annual energy bill may be manageable.
Scotland’s Chief Statistician today released Recorded Crime in Scotland, year ending June 2026. In the year ending June 2026: The police in Scotland recorded 323,531 crimes.
Energy regulator Ofgem has today (Wednesday 26 August) announced a 4% increase of the energy price cap for the period covering 1 October to 31 December 2026. The energy price cap protects around 22 million households on default tariffs by limiting the maximum rates and standing charges that energy suppliers can charge.
There is a more worrying story developing beneath Britain's cost-of-living figures. Inflation may be nowhere near the 11.1% peak reached in 2022, but that does not mean households have recovered from the financial shock of the past few years.
The energy-debt problem is becoming serious enough that ww should separate it into two different crises: household energy debt and business financial distress. The available figures suggest the household problem is much easier to measure, but there is growing evidence that energy costs are contributing to the financial pressure on small businesses.
For anyone with a mortgage, business loan or other borrowing, the next decision by the Bank of England is becoming rather more interesting. Bank Rate currently stands at 3.75%, and there had been an expectation that interest rates would gradually move lower as inflation came under control.
There is an increasingly important divide running through Britain's household finances. Some people are looking at the uncertain economic outlook and deciding that now is the time to build up their savings.
Britain has become remarkably comfortable with discussing productivity as though it were somebody else's problem. Businesses are told they must become more productive.
UK weapons and ammunition manufacturing jobs rose 51% in 2024/25, part of a wider 26,000 increase in defence-supported roles nationwide. Jobs supported by defence expenditure in weapons and ammunition manufacturing rose by 51% in 2024/25.
Scottish Government response to Sir John Elvidge’s performance review of the Scottish National Investment Bank. This review is a requirement under the Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020 (17 August 2026).
The UK Government has just announced almost £10 billion of housing funding for England, supporting the delivery of more than 70,000 new social and affordable homes. It is an eye-catching announcement, particularly because the Government says it wants to put councils back at the heart of housebuilding.
For decades, successive British governments have been attracted to the same proposition to let private companies do the work and the taxpayer will save money. The theory sounds convincing as a private company can supposedly operate more efficiently, introduce new technology, employ specialist staff and deliver services at a lower cost than the state.