Business

Scottish electric vehicle manufacturer Munro EV has secured £2 million in new investment from existing backer Elbow Beach and other investors to accelerate production of its all-electric M-Series 4x4s, designed for use in mining, defence, and construction. The fresh funding round will help the company scale production capacity at its Glasgow facility, with up to 300 new manufacturing jobs expected to be created to fulfil a backlog of 246 preliminary customer orders worth £17.4 million....

Rachel Reeves is poised to unveil a package of planning reforms and tax increases in her first full Budget on 26 November, as the Chancellor faces the daunting task of closing a £30 billion shortfall in the public finances. The Treasury is said to be exploring a range of measures to stimulate growth while raising revenue, including restoring the bank surcharge to 8 per cent—a move expected to generate around £2 billion annually. The levy,...

Piers Morgan’s production company has reported turnover of £17.1 million in 2024, as the broadcaster concluded his lucrative three-year deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News UK and began taking Piers Morgan Uncensored global. Newly filed accounts for Wake Up Productions, incorporated in July 2021, show cumulative revenues of £50.3 million over the three-year period — matching reports of Morgan’s £50 million contract with Murdoch’s UK media group, which included TV, print and book projects. Wake Up...

As a member of Generation X, I grew up in the workplace with a simple rule: if your boss asked you to do something, you said “yes” and got on with it. That was the culture of the time. We didn’t often stop to ask whether the process made sense, or if there was a better way of completing the task. Today, I see something different from my younger colleagues. Generation Z, now entering the...

Aston Martin Lagonda has warned that it will remain loss-making through 2025 after another year of weaker-than-expected sales and further delays to its flagship Valhalla hypercar, sending shares in the British luxury carmaker tumbling. In an unscheduled trading update, the company said it now expects annual sales to fall by nearly 10 per cent and losses to exceed previous forecasts, abandoning earlier commitments to become cashflow positive this year. Shares fell more than 8 per...

If you’ve ever sat in an interview and heard a hiring manager say, “We’re like one big family here,” you might have felt reassured. After all, what could be wrong with a close-knit, supportive workplace? However according to career experts, this phrase often carries a more troubling subtext — one that could point to overwork, blurred boundaries, and even a toxic culture. Peter Duris, CEO and Co-founder of Kickresume, an AI-based career hub, says jobseekers...

The UK is on course for a quarter of a million shortfall in skilled tradespeople by 2030, as the current apprenticeship system fails to attract new entrants into key trades such as plumbing, carpentry, and electrical work, according to Screwfix. Chief executive John Mewett warned that the apprenticeship levy “doesn’t work for small businesses,” leaving sole traders — who make up much of the country’s skilled workforce — unable to take on trainees. Only 2%...

The Department for Education (DfE) has spent more than £170,000 over the past three years to upskill staff in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital technologies, as part of the UK government’s broader push to build a digitally confident civil service. The figures, obtained under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank, show a sharp rise in DfE’s investment in advanced digital training — from basic data analysis...

Frasers Group has warned Unite the Union against taking “reckless and irresponsible” industrial action after the trade body threatened strikes across the retailer’s warehouses in a dispute over pay. In a strongly worded letter to Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, Sir Jonathan Thompson, chairman of Frasers Group, said he was “extremely saddened” by what he described as the union’s “inflammatory and confrontational” tactics. “I therefore hope that you will wish to avoid rash action that...

Saudi Arabia has taken a decisive step toward becoming the world’s gaming hub after its $55 billion (£41 billion) acquisition of US game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) — the largest leveraged buyout in corporate history. The deal, orchestrated through the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s $700 billion sovereign wealth fund, gives Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman control over one of the industry’s biggest names — and access to hit franchises including EA Sports FC,...