London delivered just 7% of the 88,000 homes it needed last year, says JLL. With buyers squeezed and landlords leaving, Labour’s 1.5m homes pledge is in trouble.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
Burberry pushes net zero target back a decade as luxury sector cools on climate pledges
Burberry has pushed its net zero deadline back a decade to 2049-50, joining Unilever, Nestlé, BP and Shell in softening climate commitments. What it means for UK plc and the SME supply chain.
Britain and France strike landmark AI pact to transform women’s health and tackle drug-resistant superbugs
Britain and France ink landmark science and tech partnership using AI and supercomputing to transform women’s health, speed diagnoses and fight drug-resistant infections.
Brent Crude jumps back to $99 as US strikes on Iran knock the wind out of peace talks
Brent crude climbs 3% to $99 a barrel after US air strikes on Iran shake fragile ceasefire talks. UK small businesses brace for renewed fuel, energy and inflation shock.
Lidl leapfrogs Morrisons to become Britain’s fifth-biggest supermarket
Lidl has leapfrogged Morrisons to become Britain’s fifth-largest supermarket with 8.6% market share, as the German discounter plans 50 new stores and a £600m UK investment.
UK pension funds still “way off the pace” on backing Britain’s tech stars, warns Oxford science chief
Oxford Science Enterprises chief Ed Bussey says UK pension funds are “missing in action” as British tech firms rely on overseas backers, particularly US capital, for up to 80% of their funding.
Half of graduates would refuse a student loan today, treasury inquiry warns
A landmark Treasury Committee survey of more than 52,000 borrowers exposes the scale of disillusionment with the student finance system — and the knock-on effect on home ownership, family formation and the wider UK economy.
Samsung chip workers pocket £300,000 windfalls as AI memory boom rewrites the rule book
Samsung’s 78,000 semiconductor workers are in line for bonuses of up to £300,000 after a landmark profit-share deal, as the AI memory chip supercycle reshapes the global tech industry.
Amazon’s UK tax bill tops £1.3bn as employer NI hike and £30bn sales drive the total higher
Amazon’s UK tax bill jumps 20% to more than £1.3bn after the employer national insurance rise and stronger sales — but campaigners want a clearer breakdown.
Gordon Brothers swoops on Radley as Poundland owner adds British handbag label to its turnaround portfolio
Poundland owner Gordon Brothers has bought British handbag brand Radley through a pre-pack administration, rescuing the label but axing 42 jobs and leaving 21 UK stores out of the deal.
Altman backs away from AI ‘jobs apocalypse’ warnings as OpenAI chief admits he was ‘pretty wrong’
OpenAI’s Sam Altman concedes his predictions about AI eliminating white-collar jobs were “pretty wrong” — but with Standard Chartered, Meta and Amazon all cutting roles, UK SMEs are right to remain cautious.
Long-term unemployment climbs to a decade high as Britain’s hiring engine stalls
UK long-term unemployment has climbed to a ten-year high of 474,000, piling pressure on SMEs as employer National Insurance, minimum wage rises and youth jobless rates squeeze hiring budgets.
Rayner urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s as labour splits over Australian model
Angela Rayner has urged Sir Keir Starmer to ban social media for under-16s, but Labour is split over an Australian-style measure that early evidence suggests is being widely circumvented.
HMRC warns 700,000 umbrella workers over ‘bills of exchange’ tax avoidance scam
Promoters in the recruitment and temporary labour sector are pushing a bogus payment ‘trick’ that HMRC says has no legal foundation — and SMEs further down the supply chain risk being dragged in.
Goalhanger Ventures opens its chequebook to creator-led media with Invisible Media stake and Backyard Cricket deal
Goalhanger launches Goalhanger Ventures, taking an equity stake in Invisible Media and a commercial partnership with Backyard Cricket as it bets on Britain’s creator economy.
