Business
UK manufacturers hit by sharpest rise in cost inflation since Black Wednesday in 1992
Posted on Tuesday March 24, 2026
PMI figure reveals impact on economy of rise in oil prices driven by Iran warBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK’s manufacturers have suffered the sharpest one-month acceleration in costs since the aftermath of Black Wednesday in 1992 as conflict in the Middle East has driven up oil prices, new survey evidence shows.The closely watched purchasing managers’ index (PMI) lays bare the impact of the conflict on the UK economy, with growth slowing sharply across manufacturing and services and costs rising. Continue reading...
Estée Lauder in talks on merger with Jean Paul Gaultier owner Puig
Posted on Tuesday March 24, 2026
Combination of US and Spanish companies would create $40bn fashion and beauty groupBusiness live – latest updatesThe US cosmetics company Estée Lauder is in talks over a potential merger with the Spanish group Puig, the owner of brands including Jean Paul Gaultier and Rabanne, to create a $40bn fashion and beauty giant.Estée Lauder is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of skin care, makeup and fragrances with a portfolio that includes Clinique, Bobbi Brown and Tom Ford Beauty. Continue reading...
UK defence firms ‘bleeding cash’ as delayed spending plan leaves industry in ‘paralysis’
Posted on Tuesday March 24, 2026
Industry groups say delay to defence investment plan (DIP) leaves UK lagging behind in global race for fundingDefence manufacturers are going bust while others have been left in “paralysis” and “bleeding cash” as they wait for a long-delayed UK military spending plan for the next decade, MPs have heard.Industry groups said a more than six-month delay to the defence investment plan (DIP) had also left the UK behind Germany and the US in attracting cash from global investors. Continue reading...
Opinion
Sport
World Cup-winning captain Johnson urges England to think about summer break for players
Posted on Tuesday March 24, 2026
The former England captain and head coach argues that elite stars need a proper training block to peak at 2027 World Cup – but warns even best-laid plans get ripped upEngland’s legendary World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson says the current management should consider resting key players this summer to boost the chances of history being repeated in Australia next year. Johnson was among several senior squad members who did not tour Argentina in the buildup to their 2003 global triumph and suggests a similar policy could assist England’s 2027 campaign.In 2002 England beat the Pumas 26‑18 in Buenos Aires with only eight of their subsequent World Cup-winning squad involved. Johnson is fully aware that post-game recovery and conditioning techniques have moved on significantly but believes the current captain, Maro Itoje, and others require careful handling if they are to prosper in 2027. Continue reading...
Ben Duckett pulls out of £200,000 IPL deal in bid to save England Test spot
Posted on Tuesday March 24, 2026
England opener now faces three-year ban from IPL‘My journey into Test team has come from county cricket’Ben Duckett has pulled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League and now faces a three-year ban from the tournament after deciding he needs county cricket to shore up his place in England’s Test team.The opener was signed by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction in December in a deal worth £200,000 and, with the competition starting on Saturday, he was due to miss the first two months of the English season. Continue reading...