Plan to overhaul nuclear system will speed up building, strengthen national and energy security, and cut costs. Government overhauls nuclear planning and regulation to deliver golden age of nuclear and boost UK energy sovereignty.
Protecting working families in more turbulent times will underpin discussions at the second UK-Ireland Summit in Cork today (Friday 13 March 2026) as the Prime Minister unveils £937 million in new Irish investment into the UK, which will create around 850 new jobs. Prime Minister secures more than £900 million in Irish investment into the UK at second UK-Ireland Summit.
Oil prices have always been volatile, shaped by a complex interplay of geopolitics, supply‑demand dynamics, and macroeconomic forces. While current forecasts for 2026 and beyond do not predict a return to the 2008 peak of $147 per barrel, the possibility of oil reaching $150 cannot be dismissed.
The term NEET refers to young people who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training. It is widely used by governments and researchers to measure how successfully a country is integrating young people into education systems and labour markets.
Europe's gas market has entered another period of turbulence, with prices rising sharply as geopolitical tensions disrupt global LNG flows. While the continent has become more resilient since the 2022 energy crisis, the latest surge in wholesale prices is a reminder that Europe remains deeply exposed to global shocks.
Island communities will benefit from a £5.75 million boost to support critical infrastructure, tackle rising costs and accelerate the transition to net zero. The new investment aims to address pressures including depopulation and rising fuel costs which disproportionately affect island communities.
UK Total retail sales increased by 1.1% year on year in February, against a growth of 1.1% in February 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 2.3%.
New support for parents to increase their incomes and reduce the burden of everyday costs, on top of existing work, will help to keep approximately 100,000 children out of poverty in 2026-27. More than £111 million is being committed to updated plans to eradicate child poverty through Bringing Hope, Building Futures.
New BRC data shows 70% of Gen Z workers (18-29) say flexibility at work is important to them, rising to 73% among those working part-time. Far from being a loophole or poor practice, flexible retail roles are actively chosen by people balancing study and other commitments, caring responsibilities or wanting to gain early work experience.
In the three months to January 2026, compared with the three months to October 2025. Real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.2%, following a growth of 0.1% in the three months to December, and no growth in the three months to November 2025 (revised up from a fall of 0.1% in our previous bulletin).
Responding to the latest statistics from the ONS High streets and retail areas in Great Britain, which shows retail employment falling sharply in high streets and shopping centres. The period looked at was between 2015 and 2024, Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said, "Britain's high streets are under strain, and the loss of employment opportunities make that impossible to ignore.
Total construction output is estimated to have fallen by 2.0% in the three months to January 2026; this is the fourth consecutive fall in the three-monthly series. Over the three-month period, both new work, and repair and maintenance, fell by 3.2% and 0.4%, respectively.
Clearer access to advice and support, including better information on financial help and allowances are central to a newly-published national ‘vision' for supporting Kinship Carers who look after children who cannot be cared for by their parents. The importance of family group decision-making (FGDM) has been underlined in the final ‘Vision for Kinship Care’ that has been unveiled during Kinship Care Week, while Ministers have also lodged proposed amendments to the Children (Care, Care Experience, and Service Planning) (Scotland) Bill to strengthen the role of FGDM.
Scotland's long‑planned Air Departure Tax (ADT), due to replace the UK’s Air Passenger Duty in April 2027, is set to become one of the most significant policy shifts in the country’s aviation landscape in more than a decade. While the tax will initially mirror existing APD rates, the Scottish Government will gain the power from 2028 to adjust the levy in ways that could either stimulate growth or deepen existing challenges for regional airports.
The north of Scotland is bracing for a difficult spring as the global oil shock feeds directly into higher fuel costs, rising shop prices and renewed pressure on household finances. The region has long lived with higher pump prices than the rest of the UK, but the latest surge in crude oil driven by the Iran conflict and disruption to Gulf shipping is amplifying that gap just as inflation begins to climb again.
If you're looking for a financial partner that puts people before profit, Scotland's credit unions are one of the strongest choices you can make. They're ethical, community‑driven, and built to help you take control of your money and not the other way around.
There is evidence that continued, high food inflation is driving consumers to change their shopping habits, with some, particularly in Europe, mentally preparing for or beginning to stockpile to mitigate future price increases. Various reports show the trends.
British manufacturers will save millions of pounds a year as the Government removes tariffs on offshore wind energy components from 1 April. The UK Government will remove tariffs on 33 industrial goods from 1 April through a new tariff measure which will save offshore wind energy manufacturers millions of pounds a year and support progress towards the UK's Clean Energy Superpower mission.
As global oil prices surge in the wake of renewed conflict in the Middle East, households across the north of Scotland are confronting a familiar but unwelcome reality - higher heating‑oil costs, rising inflation, and the growing threat of fuel theft. For rural communities from Aberdeenshire to Caithness, where off‑grid living is the norm rather than the exception, the consequences are already being felt.
The Hereditary Peers Bill has passed in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament and UK democracy in a generation. Hereditary peers will no longer have the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords in one of the biggest reforms to Parliament in a generation.