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News Archive

18/1/2026

 
Tariffs By President Trump Appears To Be Making China An Even Sronger Economic Power

Canada-China Partnership is the first since 2017 and more meetings with other countries will sideline USA.   Canadian PM Mark Carney visited China, the first Canadian leader to do so since 2017.  

18/1/2026

 
Are School Transport Costs Breaking Council Budgets

Why councils across England and Scotland are still losing control of school transport costs and why fixing it is harder than it looks For years, school transport was a quiet, technical line in council budgets were important, but manageable.  That era is over.  

18/1/2026

Davos - The Mountain Summit Where the World Tries to Talk to Itself

Every January, the quiet Alpine town of Davos-Klosters becomes a temporary capital of global power.  Presidents, prime ministers, central bankers, tech chiefs, investors, activists and thinkers arrive in the snowbound Swiss resort for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) — an event more commonly known simply as "Davos." It is not a treaty-making conference.  

18/1/2026

 
Why Caithness Distilleries Could Be Vulnerable To More Trump Tariffs

Export dependence Scotch whisky is Scotland's largest export, with the U.S.  being a £1 billion market.  

18/1/2026

How Is Brexit Affecting the UK Economy Overall?

Brexit has had a measurable negative effect on long‑term economic performance, though it's not the only factor shaping the UK economy.   Independent forecasters such as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimate that, in the long term, Brexit will reduce UK trade volumes and national income compared with continued EU membership.  

17/1/2026

Caithness and the Global Fertility Decline - How a Remote Scottish County Reflects Worldwide Demographic Change

Across the world, fertility rates are falling and populations are ageing.  What was once seen as a problem limited to a handful of wealthy nations has now become a global demographic shift, affecting countries as diverse as Japan, China, Italy, the United States, and increasingly the United Kingdom.  

17/1/2026

Have US tariffs failed to bite? China's trade surplus hits a record US$1.2 trillion

The numbers are in, and they paint a picture that defies the conventional wisdom of Washington's trade hawks.  In 2025, China's trade surplus surged to a record high of US$1.2 trillion (£900 billion).  

17/1/2026

The Great British Tax Ruse - How Stealth Taxes Have Squeezed Incomes Since 2021 - and Why No Major Party Wants to Kill Them

Since 2021, millions of people in the UK have experienced a quiet but profound shift in their finances.  They are earning more on paper, yet feeling poorer in reality.  

17/1/2026

 
Is The Dollar Failing - The End of the Dollar - What Comes Next?

The dollar isn't just America's currency.  It is the plumbing of global trade—the world’s settlement mechanism, safe haven, and store of value.  

17/1/2026

 
The UK is losing the industry that makes everything

Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway investigates the crisis facing the chemical sector in the United Kingdom.   In this special report he visits chemical plants across the country critical to our food security, defence sector and pharmaceuticals - an industry disappearing in plain sight..  

17/1/2026

 
The Faithful, the Traitors, and the Curious Business of Modern Politics

If one wished to understand modern politics, one could do worse than stop reading manifestos altogether and instead binge-watch The Traitors.  The similarities are uncanny, though the television version has the advantage of being honest about what it is - a game where deception is expected, paranoia is rewarded, and confidence is inversely proportional to competence.  

17/1/2026

 
China's new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country's declining fertility rate

Once the world's most populous nation, China is now among the many Asian countries struggling with anemic fertility rates.  In an attempt to double the country's rate of 1.0 children per woman, Beijing is reaching for a new tool: taxes on condoms, birth control pills and other contraceptives.  

17/1/2026

 
The Government's Last Chance to Control the AI Economy - Richard Murphy

AI is happening.  We are not going to stop it, and we shouldn't pretend we can.  

17/1/2026

Canada Opens the Door to Chinese EVs - A Strategic Trade Reset

In a move that marks a significant shift in North American trade policy, Canada has agreed to reduce tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).  This is signalling both a strategic recalibration of its trade relationships and a broader attempt to navigate the increasingly complex global economic landscape.  

17/1/2026

SFO secures three convictions for £70 million investment fraud

Three former directors of Ethical Forestry Limited plead guilty following a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into a £70 million investment scheme fraud.   Matthew Pickard, 56, Stephen Greenaway, 47, and Paul Laver, 47 from Bournemouth have been convicted at Southwark Crown Court today of fraudulent trading, ahead of an expected trial next month.  

17/1/2026

 
Government customer services to be modernised with help of industry experts

The government is launching CustomerFirst, a new unit within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, to modernise public services and improve the experience for millions of people who rely on them.   Faster response times and more efficient service for the millions of people who use government services Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson to co‑chair new CustomerFirst unit.  

17/1/2026

 
Trading Standards - Tour Operator Scams

There have been reports of companies offering tours around Scotland who have taken bookings but then fail to turn up at the agreed location, leaving visitors stranded.   One group of people booked a walking tour in Edinburgh, paying a total of almost £300.  

17/1/2026

Why Climate Policy and Populism Are Holding Back Economic Growth, According to the Bank of England

In recent years, a striking shift has taken place in the language used by central banks.  Institutions once focused narrowly on inflation and interest rates are now speaking openly about politics, social change and long-term structural forces.  

17/1/2026

The Decline of UK High Streets - Stories from Aberdeen to Wick

The decline of Britain's high streets is not just a matter of statistics.  It is a story written in shuttered shopfronts, fading signage, and the memories of communities who once relied on these spaces for daily life.  

17/1/2026

 
Battlefield tactics to inspire UK fight against prison drones

The Deputy Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Justice to learn from Ukraine's expertise, to harness their wartime innovation and tackle prison drones.   UK to learn from Ukrainian tech expertise to crush drone smuggling behind bars.  

 

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