Octopus Energy to spin out Kraken in $8.65bn valuation deal
Octopus Energy Group is preparing to spin out its technology arm Kraken in a landmark deal that values the business at $8.65 billion, following a $1 billion standalone investment round.…
December 2025
Workplace sickness scheme branded ‘teaspoon solution’ as experts warn government plan lacks scale
A new government scheme aimed at tackling long-term workplace sickness has been dismissed by business leaders and advisers as woefully inadequate, with critics warning it amounts to “emptying the ocean…
‘Made in Britain’ body challenges Reform UK over alleged unauthorised logo use
The manufacturing trade body Made in Britain has raised concerns over the alleged unauthorised use of a logo closely resembling its own by Reform UK. In a statement, Made in…
Festive filers sleigh their Self Assessment returns as thousands log on over Christmas
Thousands of taxpayers chose to spend part of their Christmas break tackling their tax affairs, with more than 4,600 people filing their Self Assessment returns on Christmas Day alone, new…
Llinkedin founder bankrolls Labour’s TikTok push against reform
The founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, is among a group of Silicon Valley investors helping to bankroll Labour’s digital push against Reform UK on TikTok, raising fresh questions about the…
Hairdressers join pub landlords in banning Labour MPs over business rates backlash
Hairdressers and barbers are joining pub landlords in banning Labour MPs from their premises, as anger intensifies across the high street over business rates, rising employment costs and what some…
City set to pour billions into defence as Russia threat reshapes investment priorities
The City of London is preparing to channel significantly more capital into defence as rising geopolitical tensions, and the growing threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, force a rethink of…
Ratcliffe battles to keep Ineos afloat as £18bn debt pile draws in vulture funds
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is once again fighting for survival at Ineos, as the industrial giant grapples with an £18bn debt mountain and an increasingly hostile debt market. Nervous bondholders have…
Budget tax raid on salary sacrifice schemes rattles business confidence
A £5 billion tax raid on salary sacrifice pension schemes announced in Rachel Reeves’s Budget has emerged as the single most damaging policy for business confidence, according to new research…
I worry for our rural economy – and yes, it’s personal
There’s a particular sound that stays with you once you’ve lived in the English countryside. Not birdsong, that’s too obvious, but the deeper rhythm of things: the tractor coughing into…