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The government has announced a sweeping package of artificial intelligence investments and reforms designed to accelerate economic growth, support national renewal and strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in AI. Placing AI at the heart of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, ministers said the programme would unlock billions of pounds in private investment while enabling new opportunities for businesses, researchers and local communities. Central to the announcement is the creation of a major...

The government has borrowed £9.9 billion more than expected so far this fiscal year, intensifying the economic pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepares to deliver next week’s Budget. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that public sector borrowing hit £17.4 billion in October, down £1.8 billion on the same month last year but still the third-highest October total on record. Since April, borrowing has reached £116.8 billion, the second-highest...

Retail sales slipped in October as wary consumers delayed purchases ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget and the start of the Black Friday discount period. Sales volumes fell by 1.1%, the first contraction in three months and significantly worse than the flat reading economists had expected. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the drop was partly driven by shoppers intentionally holding off on spending until this month’s major discount events. Grant Fitzner, ONS chief economist,...

The operator of the Channel Tunnel has frozen millions of pounds of planned investment in Britain and warned that rail fares could rise after the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) proposed a 200 per cent increase in its business rates bill. Eurotunnel, owned by French group Getlink, said it was in “deep disagreement” with the planned revaluation, describing it as “unjustified and confiscatory in nature”. The company currently pays £22 million a year in business rates...

In most British workplaces, people notice safety messages long before they meet a manager or supervisor. Simple visual prompts set expectations about behaviour, safety, and respect from the moment someone steps through the door. Those early cues shape how visitors feel about risk, responsibility, and standards inside the organisation. Clear no smoking signs are part of that first impression for staff, customers, and visitors. They show that leaders take legal duties seriously and want a...