Aluminium's surge is already raising UK construction, car‑manufacturing, and packaging costs and other metals like copper and nickel are climbing too, while steel is rising more moderately. Aluminium is at multi‑year highs due to supply shocks and tariffs, and UK industries that rely heavily on imported metals are feeling the pressure.
Businesses are being urged to take simple steps to prepare for the landmark EU agri-food deal, that will cut costs, slash red tape and open up opportunities for exporters and importers. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds set out today (Monday 9 March) how UK exporters and importers are expected to benefit from the new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement as the government negotiates to make trade with the UK's biggest market and closest neighbour easier, cheaper and quicker.
Oil prices have soared 40% within the past week and are now trading at over $100 a barrel, one of the largest weekly rises on records. What happens next?.
For businesses - Making tax digital and more. Are you ready to submit returns quarterly for sole traders, partnership, landlords, anyone with £50,000 turnover not profit and others like sellers online..
People are often told that only the private sector creates wealth and that government simply wastes taxpayers' money. That claim is everywhere in modern political debate.
Iran has hit the gulf states once again forcing reductions and closures in production. In early trading today in Asia the price of oil had been heading towards $120 per barrel but slid back briefly but prices have not settled yet.
The Scottish craft beer company Innis & Gunn has gone into administration in March 2026, with its brand sold to C&C Group. They are the drinks company behind Tennent's Lager, Magners, and Bulmers) for about £4.5 million.
The UK is set for a decent but one-off increase in living standards this year, and a bumper rise for lower-income families. But a fresh energy price shock risks ruining this good news, while the medium-term picture for living standards remains bleak, according to the Resolution Foundation's overnight analysis of Spring Forecast 2026.
The Cancer charity shop in Wick closed because it was part of a nationwide restructuring by Cancer Research UK and not because of a specific local issue. What happened The shop at 36 Bridge Street was included in a list of over 80 stores scheduled to close by May 2026 as the charity reduces its high-street shop network.
The Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) latest economic outlook has delivered a mixed picture for the Chancellor and the country. The borrowing forecast has improved, but with unemployment higher and the brand new forecast for lower inflation and interest rates already out of date, bold policy action cannot wait until the Autumn Budget, the Resolution Foundation said on(Tuesday in response to the Spring Forecast.
The conflict in the Middle East is not just a military crisis. It is rapidly becoming a global economic shock.
Rachel Hunter reflects on the Highland Women Growth Summit, highlighting the challenges facing women in business, celebrating progress, and marking the launch of HIE Impact Women. I had an absolutely energising day at the Drumossie Hotel in Inverness last Friday where over 100 women business leaders and policy makers gathered at the first ever Highland Women Growth Summit.
Essential industrial products like aluminium, sulphur, fertilisers, and several dry‑bulk commodities are already being hit hard by Gulf refinery and processing shutdowns. The Strait of Hormuz disruption has choked shipping, forced major plants offline, and triggered sharp price spikes and supply shortages.
Your questions answered on the impact of recent conflict in the Middle East. UK gas supply The UK's gas supply will not be disrupted.
Several UK lenders have already raised mortgage rates, and inflation fears linked to the Middle East conflict are a major part of the story. The pattern is clear: when markets expect inflation to stay higher for longer, the cost of funding mortgages rises, and lenders pass that on through higher fixed‑rate deals.
A clear picture of how long the price rises might last, which items will rise the most, how households can prepare, and how this compares to past global shocks. How long the price rises might last This depends almost entirely on how long the Gulf disruption continues.
GBE‑N has secured its Electricity Generation Licence from Ofgem, marking a key step toward delivering new nuclear power for the UK. Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) has successfully obtained an Electricity Generation Licence from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), representing a landmark moment in its mission to deliver Europe's first Small Modular Reactors.
New terrestrial timing signal will ease reliance on satellite systems for digital infrastructure, like mobile phone networks and online banking. A new cutting-edge timing network for the UK will help keep critical services like phone networks and bank transactions up and running.
The Bank of England meets on 19 March to decide on interest rates. Many commentators now say rates cannot fall because war in the Middle East could push up oil and gas prices and increase inflation.