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Exclusive: UK government's 'naive belief' that Trump is a good faith actor 'could cost UK taxpayer billions', says health select committee chair Ministers and senior MPs have warned that the UK's agreements with Donald Trump are “built on sand” after the Guardian established that the deal to avoid drug tariffs has no underlying text beyond limited headline terms.The “milestone” US-UK deal announced this month on pharmaceuticals, which will mean the NHS pays more for medicines in exchange for a promise of zero tariffs on the industry, still lacks a legal footing beyond top lines contained in two government press releases. Continue reading......

Argument for ensuring ethylene production at Grangemouth is strong, yet policymaking on deindustrialisation is disjointed“Our commitment is clear: to back British industry, to stand by hardworking families, and to ensure places like Grangemouth can thrive for years to come,” said Keir Starmer as the Ineos ethylene plant on the Firth of Forth was saved for the nation with the help of £120m of public money.Is the commitment clear, though? What, precisely, does the prime minister mean by “places like Grangemouth”? Which heavy industries and plants is the government pledging to shield from the forces of sky-high energy prices and carbon taxes? Is there a strategy here? Or does intervention happen only at the 11th hour when an important plant is threatened with imminent closure and ministers panic about knock-on consequences? Continue reading......

The European Commission's proposals to water down a 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars will store up major problems for the futureTwo years ago, the European Union's adoption of a 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars was hailed as an act of global leadership, and a declaration of faith in the journey to net zero. That the home of BMW, Renault and Fiat should decisively reverse away from the internal combustion engine was seen as a symbolic moment.This week, Brussels proposals to water down that ban have sent a very different kind of message. Electric vehicles might be the future. But after intensive lobbying by German and Italian manufacturers, the European Commission has proposed a reprieve for new CO2-emitting cars that would allow them to be sold after the former cut-off date. According to the EU's industry commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, this U-turn offers a “lifeline” to an ailing car industry that has struggled to cope with Donald Trump's trade wars and Chinese competit...

Residents of Gloster, Mississippi, are suing plant that exports wood pellets to UK and Europe. Company says it is reducing emissionsWhen Helen Reed first learned about the bioenergy mill opening in her hometown of Gloster, Mississippi, the word was it would bring jobs and economic opportunities. It was only later that she learned that activity came with a cost: the Amite Bioenergy mill, opened in 2014 by British energy giant Drax, emits large – and sometimes illegal – quantities of air pollutants, including methanol, acrolein and formaldehyde, which are linked to cancers and other serious illnesses.“When I go out, I can't hardly catch my breath,” Reed said. “Everything is worse since Drax came here.” Continue reading......

Daniel Chu, the company's founder, charged with directing multiple executives since 2018 to defraud investorsExecutives at Tricolor Holdings, the bankrupt subprime auto lender, were charged on Wednesday over their alleged roles in what US prosecutors described as a years-long, “systematic fraud” scheme.Daniel Chu, the company's founder and former CEO, was charged in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court with directing multiple executives since 2018 to defraud investors and lending institutions through multiple schemes. Continue reading......

The US president wants a blockade of oil tankers under sanctions to stop them entering and leaving VenezuelaAnalysis: Maduro says the real reason for Trump's fixation is oil – is he right?Donald Trump has intensified pressure on Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his government in a major escalation aimed at the country's main source of income: the oil industry.The White House called for a blockade on all Venezuelan oil exports one week after the US seized an oil tanker off the the country's coast in what Maduro called “an act of international piracy”. Continue reading......

Legal temporary farm workers also worry about the H-2A visa program and Trump's anti-immigration regimeThis article is a collaboration between the Guardian and Enlace Latino NC, an independent bilingual publication. On a cold December afternoon, about 10 workers load the season's final Christmas trees onto a truck at Wolf Creek Tree Farm and Nursery in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Nearby, another group takes a break, warming up around a barrel fire. More workers are out in the fields, a half-hour's drive up further into the mountains. Continue reading......

Directors blame 'challenging market conditions' as losses widen from £25m in 2024 to £33m Sales at Stella McCartney's fashion label sank by more than a quarter last year tipping it further into the red and adding to fears it could run out of money by 2028.Pre-tax losses at the British brand led by the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney widened to £33.6m in 2024 from £25m the year before, while sales fell 27% to £16m, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Continue reading......

ShinyHunters group reportedly behind the hack affecting data of 200m users thought to be from before 2021Hackers have accessed the search history and viewing habits of premium users of Pornhub, one of the world's most popular pornography websites.A gang has reportedly accessed more than 200m data records, including premium members' email addresses, search and viewing activities and locations. Pornhub is a heavily used site and says it has more than 100m daily visits globally. Continue reading......

EarthQuaker Devices has served Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey and Radiohead but says tariffs add costs up to 30%Julie Robbins and her team at EarthQuaker Devices have made guitar pedals for some of the biggest names in the world of music. The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, PJ Harvey and others have sought out the company's bespoke, handmade pedals for their unique sounds and designs. Its most popular model, Plumes, has sold over 67,000 devices.Their made-from-scratch effects petals use more than 1,000 components, many which are imported directly from countries such as China and Vietnam or are bought from companies that bring them in from overseas. Continue reading......

Drop in November annual rate adds to case for Bank of England cut to interest rates on ThursdayAnalysis: Inflation drop makes Bank of England early Christmas present to Reeves almost a certaintyBusiness live – latest updatesUK inflation fell by more than expected in November to the lowest level in eight months amid a slowdown in food prices, clearing the way for the Bank of England to cut interest rates on Thursday.In a crunch week for the economy, the Office for National Statistics said the rate as measured by the consumer prices index eased to 3.2% last month from a reading of 3.6% in October. City economists had forecast a modest drop to 3.5%. Continue reading......

International network appears designed to profit from gamblers who have signed up with UK self-exclusion scheme GamStopThe Long family are facing up to their second Christmas without their eldest son.Last year, an eight-year cycle of gambling addiction, recovery and relapse came to an end when Ollie took his own life, aged 36. Continue reading......

OpenAI seeking to strike latest deal in its efforts to pay for huge spending on datacentresBusiness live – latest updatesAmazon is in talks to invest more than $10bn (£7.5bn) in OpenAI, in the latest funding deal being struck by the startup behind ChatGPT.If it goes ahead, the market valuation of OpenAI could rise above $500bn, according to The Information, a tech news site that revealed the negotiations. Continue reading......

Prime minister says oligarch must commit funds from sale of London football club or face court actionEurope live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK will formally issue instructions to transfer £2.5bn from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea FC to humanitarian causes in Ukraine, telling the billionaire to commit the funds or face court action.Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the funds from the oligarch, who is subject to UK sanctions, would be converted in to a new foundation for Ukraine and that the issuing of a licence for the transfer was the last chance Abramovich would have to comply before legal action was taken. Continue reading......

WBD had agreed to sell to Netflix but Paramount swiftly countered with an all-cash offer, which WBD's board is calling 'inadequate'Warner Bros Discovery has urged shareholders to reject a $108.4bn hostile takeover offer from Paramount Skydance, branding it “inadequate” amid an extraordinary corporate battle to control the legacy media conglomerate.WBD agreed to sell its storied movie studios, HBO cable network and streaming service to Netflix in a $82.7bn deal earlier this month, setting the stage for a seismic shift in Hollywood's industrial landscape. Continue reading......

Failings included allowing customer to place £20,000 of bets across eight-hour session, Gambling Commission found• Business live – latest updatesPaddy Power and Betfair have reached a £2m settlement with the gambling industry's regulator over social responsibility failings, including allowing one customer to bet for nearly eight hours solid.The Gambling Commission said the online betting and gaming brands, which are owned by Flutter Entertainment, had fallen “far short” of what was expected during a routine compliance assessment performed in 2024. Continue reading......

Decision will pave the way for Netflix to proceed with buyout of film and TV groupWarner Bros Discovery is poised to tell shareholders to reject Paramount's $108bn (£81bn) hostile bid, according to reports, clearing the way for Netflix to proceed with its buyout of the Hollywood film and TV group.The board could announce a decision as early as Wednesday after Paramount Skydance – run by David Ellison and bankrolled by his billionaire father, Larry, who founded Oracle – went directly to shareholders with its rival offer almost two weeks ago. Continue reading......

Andrea Egan to become Unison general secretary, succeeding Christina McAnea, who has close links to Keir StarmerUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK's largest trade union, Unison, is on a potential collision course with Labour after it ousted a general secretary with close links to Keir Starmer in favour of a leftwinger who was expelled from the party three years ago.In a result announced on Wednesday morning, Andrea Egan was elected as Unison's general secretary, winning just under 60% of members' votes, against Christina McAnea, who has been general secretary since 2021 and has kept the union close to Labour. Continue reading......

In my six months of looking for work, I've found that from fake ads to AI screening software, the search is more soul-destroying than everAs I apply for yet another job, I look at the company's website for context. I've now read their “what we do” section four or five times, and I have a problem – I can't figure out what they do. There are two possibilities here. One: they don't know what they do. Two: what they do is so pointless and embarrassing that they dare not spell it out in plain English. “We forge marketing systems at the forefront of the online wellness space” translates to something like “we use ChatGPT to sell dodgy supplements”.But understanding what so many businesses actually do is the least of my worries. I'm currently among the 5% of Brits who are unemployed. In my six months of job hunting, my total lack of success has begun to make me question my own existence. Just like when you repeat a word over and over until it loses all meaning, when you apply repeatedly for jo...

The legal action has made news and it will do damage. A potential disaster for the corporation and the UK, but a good day's work for this presidentLove Actually may be a terrible movie, but it provides one speech that's hard not to wish into reality this Christmas. Keir Starmer, the actual, nonfictional UK prime minister, needs to channel the one played by Hugh Grant – and stand up to an absurd US president now bullying the BBC with a $10bn lawsuit.Just imagine for one moment that Starmer decided to make Donald Trump's claim against the BBC the final straw for a special relationship that is increasingly special only in a bad way. That would not be outlandish, for not only has Trump taken aim against a British broadcaster, but earlier this week it seemed that his promise of an AI “prosperity deal” (bought, let's not forget, with gurning invites to Windsor Castle) is set to evaporate. As the fictional Love Actually PM once said: “A friend who bullies us is no longer a friend … Since bullies on...