News

A major US defence technology company is preparing to manufacture next-generation autonomous fighter drones for the British Army on the Isle of Wight, marking one of the most significant foreign defence investments in UK aerospace in years. California-based Anduril Industries, the fast-rising defence start-up valued at $30bn, has partnered with British engineering group GKN Aerospace to build components for the drones in Cowes. The plan hinges on winning a Ministry of Defence competition to produce...

Policy uncertainty in Westminster is weighing heavily on Britain’s small business sector, according to one of the City’s most influential bankers. Kunal Shah, co-head of Goldman Sachs International, warned that a lack of clarity over taxation and employment laws is creating an “overhang” that is discouraging entrepreneurs from investing and hiring. Speaking to The Times ahead of a House of Commons reception marking 15 years of Goldman’s 10,000 Small Businesses programme, Shah said founders were...

The UK’s long-running “risk premium” in financial markets appears to be unwinding, with economists claiming investors are regaining confidence in Rachel Reeves’ fiscal strategy — and that the shift could save taxpayers billions of pounds over the next five years. New analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a think tank with longstanding ties to Labour, shows gilt yields have fallen faster than those in the US and eurozone since September. The move...

Britain’s live events industry has issued a stark warning to the Prime Minister, urging an immediate review of the government’s new Business Rates system amid fears it will trigger widespread venue closures, job losses and higher ticket prices across the country. In a strongly worded letter sent to No 10, senior figures from the sector said the changes unveiled at the Budget — including steep revaluations by the Valuations Office Agency (VOA) and a higher...

Businesses are preparing to sharply increase their investment in artificial intelligence next year, even as concerns around data privacy, regulatory compliance and security risks continue to weigh heavily on IT leaders. New research from enterprise content management platform Storyblok shows that nine in ten companies plan to raise their AI budgets in 2026, with more than half expecting a “significant” uplift. Only 2% anticipate cutting their AI spending. The survey of 200 senior IT and...

Disabled consumers across the UK continue to face significant barriers when trying to access products, services and customer support, according to new research published today by the Business Disability Forum (BDF). The findings, based on an Opinium survey of 1,073 disabled adults, reveal that more than a third (37%) believe their experience as customers would improve if staff had a better understanding of disability and how different conditions affect their needs. The study points to...

NatWest has surpassed its headline commitment to lend £2 billion to women-led businesses by the end of 2025, announcing that it has already delivered £2.84 billion in funding across more than 55,900 loans. The achievement comes a full year ahead of schedule and reinforces the bank’s role as one of the UK’s largest backers of female entrepreneurship. The average loan size stood at around £50,700, with high demand seen across a wide variety of sectors....