Latest News

Today

Hundreds of new officers to hunt down dirty money networks

Five hundred new officers to be recruited in a £500 million crackdown on money laundering, as part of the government's Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy.   Hundreds of new officers will be recruited to track dirty money, disrupt organised crime networks and seize criminal assets under a major new crackdown.  

Today

England Offers Fishing-Boat Engine Grants. What About Scotland?

A new funding announcement for fishing vessels in England has highlighted an interesting difference between the support available to fishermen on either side of the Scottish border.   The UK Government announced on 15 September that England's Fisheries and Seafood Scheme has been expanded to provide grants towards new engines and gearboxes on fishing vessels.  

Today

 
ScotWind - Scotland’s £755 Million Windfall Raises Questions About Money, Jobs and Transparency

Scotland was promised a new era of offshore wind, billions of pounds of investment and the chance to build a major new industrial supply chain.   The ScotWind leasing round certainly produced one thing very quickly: a very large cheque.  

Today

 
The OAP triple lock isn’t a problem. The cost of pension tax relief is - Richard Murphy

Watch the video and listen carefully - You may be shocked.   The old age pension triple lock is under attack again.  

Today

 
What really causes inflation? It isn’t money creation - Richard Murphy

Does creating more money cause inflation? We are repeatedly told that “money printing” inevitably pushes prices higher.  But that claim misunderstands both how modern money works and what actually causes inflation.  

Today

 
Egypt's £billions Desert Gamble: Can You Really Create a New Nile Valley?

There is an extraordinary experiment taking place in the Egyptian desert which most people in Britain will probably never have heard of.   It is called the Toshka Project, or the New Valley Project.  

Yesterday

 
China Capital: How China's Biggest Bank Is Expanding Beijing's Global Influence

A major investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has shed new light on how China is using one of the world's biggest banks to expand its economic reach around the globe.   The investigation, called China Capital, examines the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world's largest bank by assets.  

Yesterday

Second wave of mortgage rate hikes begins before BBR decision

A second wave of mortgage rate hikes has pushed borrowing costs higher, ahead of the next Bank Base Rate (BBR) vote, according to Moneyfactscompare.co.uk analysis.   A second wave of mortgage rate hikes has been made by the major banks, off the back of higher swap rates, including NatWest, Santander, HSBC, Lloyds Bank and TSB, all for the second time since the start of September.  

Yesterday

ECB Raises Rates: Is Britain’s Next Interest-Rate Move Now Up?

The European Central Bank has raised interest rates again, and that could be an important warning for Britain.   The ECB increased its key deposit rate by 0.25 percentage points to 2.5% last week as inflation across the eurozone moved higher.  

Yesterday

 
France Is Digging a 107km Canal Across Northern France – And Spending Billions to Do It - The Biggest Project In Europe

France is building something that might seem like a project from another age: a completely new 107-kilometre canal across northern France.   But this is not about pleasure boats or tourism.  

Yesterday

 
Now It IS an Oil Shock

Two weeks ago I said this wasn't an oil shock — it was a refining shock.  Crude was sitting at ninety dollars and all the damage was happening in refining diesel But, since then there have been developments, Brent oil has closed at $109.  

Yesterday

China Has Made Solar Panels Dirt Cheap. Can Anyone Else Compete?

Solar panels are becoming so cheap that they are beginning to change the way ordinary households can think about generating electricity.   For years, solar power in Britain generally meant putting several thousand pounds into a professionally installed system on the roof.  

Yesterday

UK Inflation Rises to 3.1% in August 2026 as Fuel Prices Push Up Costs

UK inflation increased again in August, with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rising to 3.1%, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).   The increase means inflation is now above the 2% target used by the Bank of England, after CPI inflation rose from 2.9% in July to 3.1% in August.  

Yesterday

Oil's Next Test: Could Saudi Arabia's Pipeline Crisis Drain the World's Remaining Oil Buffers?

The global oil market has entered a potentially dangerous phase.   The immediate problem is the shutdown of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, a strategically important route designed to allow Saudi crude to reach the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz.  

Yesterday

Young People Without Degrees Face a New Set of Barriers to Getting Their First Job

Young people without a university degree are facing increasingly difficult barriers when trying to secure their first job, according to a new report from the Resolution Foundation.   The organisation warns that young people qualified to GCSE level or below now face an unemployment rate around three times higher than that of graduates.  

Yesterday

Shetland Air Fares Surge as Oil Crisis Puts Regional Flights Under Pressure

Shetland travellers are facing sharply higher air fares just as the global oil market is being hit by one of its most serious supply disruptions in years.   Passengers booking flights between Shetland and the Scottish mainland have reportedly seen fares jump substantially, raising questions about whether the latest surge in oil and jet-fuel prices is beginning to filter through to regional air travel.  

Yesterday

Public Sector Employment Remains Near Record Levels as Government and Public Bodies Face Growing Pressure to Cut Costs

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics highlight a growing challenge for governments and public bodies: public-sector employment remains close to record levels at a time when budgets are under increasing pressure to deliver savings.   The ONS estimates that 6.21 million people were employed in the UK public sector in June 2026.  

Yesterday

Inflation tops 3 per cent, with more to come, spelling bad news for the Chancellor ahead of a difficult Autumn Budget

CPI inflation rose to 3.1 per cent in August, up again from 2.9 per cent in July, in line with market expectations, driven largely by higher petrol and diesel prices, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday).  With price rises not expected to peak until the winter, the renewed climb has ramifications for families, the Bank of England, and the new Prime Minister’s first Budget.  

Yesterday

Interest Rates Could Stay Higher for Longer: What Consumers and Businesses Should Do Now

The prospect of higher interest rates lasting longer is becoming a growing concern for households and businesses.   With inflation still above target, oil prices elevated and financial markets demanding higher returns on government and corporate debt, borrowers should not assume that the era of cheap money is about to return.  

Yesterday

Americans Brace for Higher Interest Rates as Fed Faces Inflation and Oil Shock

Americans are waiting for the Federal Reserve's latest interest-rate decision tonight, with financial markets overwhelmingly expecting the first increase in US interest rates in more than three years.   The Fed is widely expected to raise its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage points, taking the target range from 3.50%-3.75% to 3.75%-4%.