Western Morning News

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that British Steel will be taken into full public ownership, ending months of speculation about the future of the loss-making Scunthorpe plant and drawing a line under fraught negotiations with its Chinese owner, Jingye. In a speech designed in part to head off a brewingContinue Reading

The cost of UK government borrowing climbed to its highest level in nearly two decades on Tuesday, as mounting speculation over the future of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer collided with fresh inflation fears stoked by the Iran conflict, leaving the country’s small and mid-sized businesses staring down the barrelContinue Reading

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Greggs has reported a boost in sales, driven by menu changes and expansion plans, butContinue Reading

Mike Ashley’s retail empire has scored a notable courtroom victory after the Court of Appeal threw out a substantial damages award handed down in a protracted trademark infringement dispute, sparing the FTSE-listed group what could have proved a punishing financial blow. The ruling brings to a head a long-running tussleContinue Reading

Britain’s largest poultry processor has handed supermarkets a £70m bill for the Chancellor’s tax-and-wage squeeze, in one of the clearest signals yet that Labour’s labour-cost reforms are working their way through the nation’s grocery aisles. 2Sisters Food Group, the West Bromwich-based business founded by Midlands entrepreneur Ranjit Boparan (pictured), confirmedContinue Reading

The share of new-build homes snapped up “off plan” before a single brick is laid has tumbled to its lowest level in more than a decade, in a fresh blow to the government’s ambition of delivering 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament. Research published by estate agencyContinue Reading

Many employers assume that withdrawing a job offer before someone starts work is a low-risk decision. A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling suggests otherwise. It held that the withdrawal of a conditional job offer amounted to a breach of contract, even though the employee had not actually started work, andContinue Reading