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When Jonathan Reynolds announced sweeping tariffs this summer to shield Britain’s steelmakers from a flood of cheap imports, the reaction seemed almost universally positive. “This government is unapologetic in our support for the UK steel sector,” declared Reynolds, then business secretary, promising to defend a “vital industry that underpins Britain’s industrial strength and national security.” Gareth Stace, director-general of the industry body UK Steel, hailed it as “a tremendous outcome” that would stop foreign producers...

The horse-racing industry is bracing for a £10 million rise in costs after being excluded from new business rate reliefs due to come into force next April — a move that coincides with fears of a fresh tax raid on betting in the upcoming Budget. According to research by Colliers, racing yards are among several categories that will lose access to the current 40 per cent rates relief, facing average increases of more than £7,000...

The Conservative Party has pledged to scrap mandatory climate and sustainability reporting requirements and rein in regulators “with a tendency to go woke” in a dramatic effort to boost the number of companies listing on the London Stock Exchange. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business and trade secretary, said that if the Tories win the next general election, they will “take a chainsaw” to the layers of green and social disclosure rules that have, in his...