Business

Rachel Reeves denies lying to public in run-up to budget
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

Chancellor accused of misleading public about reasons for tax rises, with opposition MPs calling for her to resignUK politics live – latest updatesRachel Reeves has denied lying to the public in the buildup to last week’s budget, insisting that she needed to raise taxes to a record level to ensure economic stability.The chancellor said on Sunday she had announced £26bn-worth of tax rises on Wednesday in part to build a buffer against her fiscal rules and reduce the risk of further tax increases in the future, and in part to protect public spending. Continue reading...

England’s water industry issued £10.5bn in ‘green bonds’ despite pollution record
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

River Action says use of issuance tied to environmental benefits is ‘corporate greenwash on steroids’Water companies have issued a fifth of the UK’s “green bonds” since 2017, despite a consistently poor record of sewage pollution during that time, research has shown.Privately owned water companies in England have together issued £10.5bn in bonds tied to projects that offer “environmental benefits”, according to analysis of financial market data by Unearthed, which is part of Greenpeace UK. Continue reading...

Is gen Z’s love of fried chicken pushing Britain to ‘peak pizza’?
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

Competition intensifies as former chief of Domino’s says days of ‘massive growth’ are overPizza has become ubiquitous on British dinner plates, with chains such as Pizza Express, Franco Manca, Domino’s and Goodfella’s dominating the market – but is its popularity starting to cool?Domino’s Pizza Group announced this week that its chief executive of two years had stepped down with immediate effect, less than two weeks after he appeared to suggest the UK may be approaching “peak pizza”. Continue reading...

Illegal weight-loss drugs being sold in UK by firms with high Trustpilot scores
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds unlicensed jabs offered as experts call for more online regulationCompanies selling illegal weight-loss drugs are amassing positive Trustpilot reviews as critics say regulatory gaps allow high-risk operators to appear credible.A Guardian investigation found that Retatrutide UK had a score of 4.4 on the global review site, despite purporting to offer a drug that is unlicensed and illegal to sell or buy. Its website sells a 20mg retatrutide pen for £132. Continue reading...

Bakery chain Gail’s plans to open 40 more outlets as sales soar
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

Sales rose to £278m in last finanical year but profit margins were hit by increasing staff and energy costsThe upmarket bakery chain Gail’s is planning 40 more outlets after sales rose by a fifth last year as it opened 36 new bakeries and sales to supermarkets increased.The cafe and retailer, which currently has 185 sites, said sales rose to £278m in the year to the end of February but that pre-tax losses widened to £7.8m, from £7.4m a year before, as costs rose and it spent millions on opening new outlets, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Continue reading...

Trump grants clemency to executive convicted in fraud scheme – report
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

David Gentile had just begun to serve a seven-year sentence for role in $1.6bn scheme that defrauded thousands Donald Trump granted clemency to private equity executive David Gentile, who had just begun a seven-year prison sentence for what prosecutors described as a $1.6bn fraud scheme, reported the New York Times.The founder and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GPB Capital, 59 year old Gentile was convicted and sentenced in May to seven years in prison for his role in defrauding thousands of individual investors. Continue reading...

Harrods warehouse staff underpaid by thousands of pounds after agency error
Posted on Sunday November 30, 2025

Pay mistake is latest setback to image of exclusive Qatar-owned London retailer after a series of crisesHarrods warehouse staff have been underpaid thousands of pounds after the temporary recruitment agency employing the workers failed to award them the correct levels of holiday pay.The error, which possibly equates to a six-figure debt owed to hundreds of lower-paid personnel, marks the latest setback to the image of the exclusive Knightsbridge retailer, which is owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and has spent the past 12 months firefighting a series of crises. Continue reading...