Latest News

Today

Nearly £50 million government backing to power up drone and flying taxi tech and crack down on illegal drones

Funding will help develop a numberplate ID system for drones, helping police better protect UK skies and prosecute illegal users.   British jobs, innovation and long-term economic growth will be supported by £26 million to bring drones and air taxis to UK skies faster.  

Today

Why Gulf States Are Holding Back: The Calculated Restraint Behind the Iran–UAE Crisis

At first glance, the situation appears puzzling.  If the United Arab Emirates is being targeted, why are the Gulf states not responding with direct military force against Iran? In most conflicts, an attack is met with retaliation.  

Today

Beyond the Pump: How to Prepare for Fuel Rationing Before It Arrives

Fuel rationing, if it comes to the UK, is unlikely to arrive as a sudden, dramatic announcement.  It will creep in gradually at first through rising prices, then through patchy availability, and finally through more formal limits on who can buy what, and when.  

Today

 
Why is the government recklessly trying to push your savings into the stock market? - Richard Murphy

From April 2027, the government will cut the cash ISA allowance for the under-65s from £20,000 to £12,000, forcing the remaining £8,000 into stocks and shares.  But the Bank of England is now warning of a "significant risk of a stock market adjustment." Is this really the right moment to push small savers into a volatile market? In this video, I explain why this policy is recklessly irresponsible.  

Today

Work Foundation - UK sickness absence levels stabilise but workers still forced to work while ill

The Work Foundation at Lancaster University responded to the Sickness absence in the UK labour market figures for 2025 released by the Office for National Statistics.  Asli Atay, Senior Policy Advisor, the Work Foundation at Lancaster University commented: “These figures suggest sickness absence from the workplace in the UK has stabilised with the average worker taking 4.4 days off in 2025.  

Today

Oil on the Move: How Asia Is Turning to America as Gulf Supplies Falter

The disruption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz has forced a rapid and far-reaching shift in global energy trade, and nowhere is that more visible than in Asia.  As traditional supplies from the Gulf have been constrained for weeks, Asian economies long dependent on Middle Eastern States have begun turning elsewhere to keep their energy systems running.  

Today

From Oil Shock to Empty Pumps: How a Prolonged Conflict Could Push the World Toward Fuel Rationing

The global economy in 2026 is once again being shaped by a familiar but deeply disruptive force: an oil shock driven by geopolitical conflict.  What begins as a surge in crude prices rarely stays confined to financial markets.  

Today

 
Rising UK Government Borrowing Costs: Causes and Consequences

In recent weeks, the cost of borrowing for the UK government in the bond market has risen sharply, reaching levels not seen in decades.  These costs are reflected in the yields on UK government bonds, known as “gilts.” When gilt yields rise, it means the government must pay more interest to borrow money.  

Today

Rising Borrowing Costs and the Real Impact on UK Mortgage Holders

The recent rise in UK government borrowing costs, reflected in higher yields on government bonds (gilts), is not just a concern for financial markets or policymakers.  It has direct and significant consequences for ordinary households particularly those with mortgages.  

Today

 
The cost of war: over 40% of retailers and transport and storage firms plan May price increases

The true cost of the Iran conflict is hitting home for UK businesses and consumers, says the international delivery expert Parcelhero.   New figures from the ONS show a 22.5 percentage point increase in the number of transport & storage sector firms planning May price increases over April, with retailers and manufacturers not far behind.  

Today : Local Authority

 
Highland Council’s Debt Crunch: Rising Borrowing Costs Put 20‑Year Capital Plans Under Pressure

Highland Council is heading into a tougher financial climate than at any point since the financial crash and the pressure is coming from a direction that residents rarely see: the cost of government borrowing.   Following the UK’s latest rise in borrowing costs, the price councils pay for long‑term loans has increased again.  

Yesterday : Local Authority

Will Governments Override Local Councils to Build Wind Farms and Battery Storage? A Look at the UK’s Energy Shift

As the energy crisis continues to reshape policy across the UK, a key question keeps coming up.  Will national governments override local councils that refuse planning permission for renewable energy projects like wind farms and battery storage sites? The short answer is this is already happening and it’s likely to increase.  

Yesterday

Scottish Parliament Election on Thursday 7 May - make sure your vote counts

As people living in Highland prepare to go to the poll for the Scottish Parliament Election on Thursday 7 May, voters are being reminded to be ready to make sure their vote count.   All polling stations will open at 7am on Thursday 7 May and will remain open until 10pm.  

Yesterday

The Oil Shock That’s Shaking the FTSE

The recent slide in the FTSE 100 still often referred to as the “Footsie” is not an isolated event but part of a broader global market reaction driven by a single, powerful chain of forces: geopolitics feeding into oil prices, oil prices feeding into inflation, and inflation shaping expectations for interest rates and economic growth.  What looks on the surface like a routine market dip is, in reality, a tightly connected macro story unfolding in real time.  

Yesterday

Why Britain’s Pubs Are Shutting Their Doors Faster Than Ever

The idea that Britain is losing two pubs a day sounds like the kind of statistic designed to provoke nostalgia or alarm, but in early 2026 it has the uncomfortable distinction of being both real and well-sourced.   According to figures compiled by the British Beer and Pub Association, around 160 pubs closed across the first quarter of the year—equivalent to roughly two every day.  

Yesterday

Rising Energy Prices and Scotland’s Public Sector Budgets: Why Councils and NHS Boards Are Feeling the Pressure

As oil prices sit around elevated levels and global energy markets remain volatile, one of the less visible but highly significant impacts is playing out across Scotland’s public sector.  Local councils, health boards, police forces, schools, and other public bodies collectively manage thousands of buildings and large vehicle fleets, all of which depend heavily on electricity, gas, and fuel.  

Yesterday

Gas Prices Matter Just as Much as Oil Prices: Why UK Energy Bills Could Rise Again in 2026

When global headlines focus on oil trading around $114 per barrel, it is easy to assume that oil is the main driver of household energy costs.  In reality, that is only part of the picture and for UK consumers, gas prices are just as important—if not more important than oil when it comes to determining electricity bills, heating costs, and the overall direction of inflation.  

Yesterday

The New Billion-Dollar Frenzy: Are We Building the Future or Just Pricing It In?

Something very strange is happening in global markets right now.  Every week brings another headline involving billions or tens of billions being thrown at companies, funds, and infrastructure bets tied to AI, energy, or automation.  

Yesterday

From Rice Bowls to Supermarket Aisles: How Asian Inflation Is Quietly Raising Food Prices in Asia and the UK

Inflation in Southeast Asia in 2026 is no longer a localised economic story confined to individual countries.  It is becoming part of a wider global transmission mechanism that links household budgets in Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok to supermarket prices in London.  

Yesterday

The US has long used economic coercion to achieve foreign policy goals — the war in Iran shows how that power has declined

Two months after the United States, along with Israel, launched a war against Iran, that conflict appears far from a lasting resolution.   Much commentary on the protracted nature of the conflict has centred on the limits of both the military and diplomatic approaches to the war.