Lauren Guthrie, entrepreneur and finalist from the first series of The Great British Sewing Bee, is weaving a bold new chapter for her Birmingham-based business, Guthrie & Ghani, following a transformative experience on the government-backed Help to Grow: Management Course. Guthrie, a leading figure in the UK’s sewing and craft scene, founded the business with her husband in 2013, turning her lifelong passion into a thriving enterprise in Moseley. What began as a fabric and...
Stock markets across Europe and beyond fell sharply this morning following a dramatic escalation in the global trade war by former US President Donald Trump. On Thursday night, Trump announced a new wave of tariffs on imports from 92 countries, igniting fears of a significant blow to international commerce and a renewed slowdown in global economic growth. In early trading, Germany’s DAX index dropped by 1.1 per cent, while France’s CAC 40 fell by nearly...
Labour’s former shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has called on the Treasury to consider a wealth tax ahead of this autumn’s budget, warning that the government cannot avoid “big decisions” on how to fund growing public spending demands. Dodds, who served under Keir Starmer and resigned earlier this year over the government’s decision to cut international aid, said Chancellor Rachel Reeves must confront the UK’s fiscal reality—and consider new tax measures, including on wealth, to fill...
Microsoft has become the second publicly traded company in history to reach a $4 trillion market valuation, propelled by booming demand for artificial intelligence and record performance from its cloud computing division. The milestone was reached on Thursday, just weeks after chipmaker Nvidia became the first company to cross the same threshold on 9 July. The Washington-based tech giant’s achievement follows a strong quarterly earnings report and a bold forecast for future AI-led capital investment....
Shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie has called for an urgent policy review on North Sea oil and gas, following comments by former US President Donald Trump describing the region as “a treasure chest for the United Kingdom”. Trump’s remarks—made during a visit to Scotland earlier this week—criticised the UK’s windfall tax on fossil fuel profits and claimed high taxes on oil and gas firms “make no sense”. He argued that the UK government is effectively...
Heathrow Airport has unveiled updated plans to build a third runway by 2039 at a revised cost of £21 billion—up from £14 billion in 2018—citing “construction inflation” and growing passenger demand. The proposal, submitted to the UK government for review, includes a 3,500-metre runway located to the north-west of the existing site. The airport has also stated it is open to considering a shorter alternative to reduce costs and complexity. The expansion would enable Heathrow...
Meta and Microsoft have added a staggering $500 billion in combined market value overnight, following blockbuster earnings reports that exceeded Wall Street expectations and sent their share prices soaring. The surge marks a major milestone for both tech giants—and a moment of triumph for investors riding the artificial intelligence wave. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, saw its share price leap more than 11 per cent in pre-market trading, adding over $190...
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has reported the loss or theft of nearly 3,000 electronic devices over the past three years, fuelling growing concerns over government cybersecurity as cyberattacks and phishing scams surge across the UK. Data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank reveals that a total of 2,897 devices—including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops—were lost or stolen from the tax authority since 2022....
It’s 3pm on a Friday. If you’re working from home, there’s a growing chance you’ve already shut your laptop, set your Teams status to “active”, and headed off for a long weekend. New data from Virgin Media O2 has revealed a distinct shift in working habits, with broadband traffic dropping by 8 per cent between 3pm and 5pm on summer Fridays compared to winter levels—suggesting thousands of remote workers are quietly calling time on the...
Businesses adopting the direct-to-consumer model are on the rise today. On the other hand, traditional businesses following conventional techniques still struggle to achieve this success. A major reason for their struggle is not to update strategies. It unintentionally results in not meeting the consumer’s expectations. Things are different today and consumers prioritise convenience. That’s why the modern entrepreneurs offer direct home delivery and this approach lies at the heart of the DTC model. In this...
