Economy

Fresh scrutiny of how British businesses use artificial intelligence points to a country with a breadth problem and a depth problem at the same time. Official statistics, and the analyses built on them, describe a familiar pattern: many firms have tried AI, most of …

Andy Burnham entered Downing Street on Monday 20 July 2026 as Britain's 59th prime minister, and within hours the shape of his government began to emerge. The former mayor of Greater Manchester, 56, had won the Labour leadership uncontested after returning to Parliament through …

The rescue of British Steel has hardened into a fight over money. Jingye Group, the Chinese company that owned the Scunthorpe steelworks, is demanding compensation for the plant's nationalisation, accusing the government of disregarding its investment and offering what it describes as almost zero …

Andy Burnham used his first hours as prime minister on Monday 20 July 2026 to build up the heart of his government. He handed Louise Haigh two of Whitehall's most powerful coordinating titles at once, making her chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and …

Andy Burnham became the United Kingdom's prime minister on Monday 20 July 2026, and within hours the verdict-forming that surrounds every new leader had begun. He is the country's seventh prime minister in a decade, a former mayor of Greater Manchester who left Westminster …

The Financial Times used its leader column this month to name a problem the City has lived with for years: British companies keep being bought, and too few new ones arrive to replace them. Its verdict, published as Andy Burnham entered Downing Street on …

South East Water, a regulated supplier serving roughly 2.3 million customers across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, has warned that it is struggling to secure the new funding it needs to keep operating. In accounts and statements reported in mid-July 2026, the company …