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Advisory firm has lost string of clients despite efforts to cut ties with co-founder after Epstein revelationsGlobal Counsel, the advisory firm co-founded by Peter Mandelson, is to collapse into administration, blaming the “maelstrom” caused by revelations about the former peer's relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Companies including Barclays, Tesco and the Premier League have all deserted Global Counsel, despite the company's efforts to sever ties with Mandelson and the company's co-founder Benjamin Wegg-Prosser. Continue reading......

Industrial trends survey shows firms expecting to raise prices in coming months, with order books well below averageBritish manufacturing orders remain well below average and price pressure continues to persist, according to a closely watched survey.The CBI industrial trends survey found that manufacturers' orders for the month were below average in February, while most firms expected to raise their prices and for output to decline over the next three months. Continue reading......

Law defines animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets and is backed by opposition partiesItaly could soon ban horse meat as part of a law that would define equine animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets, making it illegal to kill them.The bill has been drafted by Michela Vittoria Brambilla, a politician with Noi Moderati, a member of Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, and is backed by opposition parties. Continue reading......

Nick Thomas-Symonds says move could also create unnecessary UK-EU trade barriers and increase costsBusiness live – latest updatesA British minister has warned that the EU's “Made in Europe” industrial strategy could hit supply chains, increase costs and create unnecessary trade barriers between the UK and some members of the bloc.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK minister for EU relations, made the comments as the EU is preparing to publish new legislation that would require European-made products to be prioritised in public procurement and consumer schemes. Continue reading......

New technology has workers spooked, but experts say it's creating an opening for a resurgence in worker powerIn 2026, it's a scary time to work for a living.Gone are the days of quiet quitting, the Great Resignation, and the highly visible union-organizing battles that began the decade and signaled that perhaps worker power was on the rise again in the US. Instead, much of that momentum is being crowded out of our minds by anxieties: a worsening affordability crisis, geopolitical instability, and the specter of artificial intelligence looming over the workplace. Continue reading......

British and French activists write to Air France, AlbaStar, Titan and Corendon airlines over 'shameful involvement'Campaigners have urged airlines deporting asylum seekers to France as part of the UK's controversial “one in, one out” scheme to stop facilitating the “cruel and forced deportations”.Letters have been sent by 28 refugee and human rights NGOs on both sides of the Channel to four airlines believed to be involved with deportation flights – Air France, Titan airways, AlbaStar airlines and Corendon airlines – urging them to halt what signatories call “shameful involvement” with the flights. Continue reading......

Aerospace firm proposes two separate warplanes amid dispute over who leads €100bn projectAirbus has suggested splitting Europe's faltering future fighter jet programme into two separate warplanes, amid a dispute between manufacturers over who leads the €100bn (£87bn) project.The company's defence arm – which represents Germany and Spain – and the French partner, Dassault Aviation, are locked in a battle over the jet part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a wide-ranging project that will also include autonomous drones and a futuristic “combat communications cloud”. Continue reading......

Joe McCann of the Melksham News was tipped off by a contact about the image and raised issue at council meetingA local newspaper journalist has said he was “shocked” after a picture of his face was printed out and attached to a punchbag at a town hall.Joe McCann, who has worked for the Melksham News for 10 years, was tipped off by a contact that a print-out of his face had been attached to a freestanding punchbag inside the building. Continue reading......

Club unhappy sanction applied in ChampionshipPremier League seeking additional punishmentLeicester City's legal battle with the Premier League continues to rumble on as both parties formally lodged appeals related to this month's decision by an independent commission to deduct the club six points.It is understood the league believes Leicester should be punished additionally for the late submission of their annual accounts for 2023-24, to avoid setting a precedent, and said an appeal board will “urgently” hear the case to ensure it is resolved before the end of the English Football League season in May. Continue reading......

With Gorton split between Labour and Greens, division creates opportunity for Farage's party in other side of constituency facing byelectionIf you're unsure whether you've crossed the border from Manchester into Tameside, the Reform posters will probably give it away. In windows, on walls, and staked on garden posts, Denton is awash with turquoise blue as the 26 February byelection looms.Near the town centre, Ian Singleton and his wife, Irene, have one of Reform's turquoise banners standing proudly in their front yard. Ian was born in Gorton, in Manchester, but for the best part of the last three decades, the couple have lived on the other side of the constituency, in Denton. Continue reading......

The US president's relentless self-aggrandizement spree continues amid hypocrisy and shifting explanationsAs a real estate developer, Donald Trump built his empire on ostentatious displays of wealth, substantial tax breaks – and lots of free publicity. As president, he has deployed the power of the state to expand his personal brand, adding his name to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the US Institute of Peace, a class of new navy warships, and even investment accounts for millions of children.Trump is now eyeing yet more grandiose targets in his self-aggrandizement spree. He wants Congress to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington Dulles international airport in his honor. But there's a catch: Trump reportedly told Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, that he would unfreeze billions of dollars in federal funding for a major infrastructure project in the north-east – if Schumer supported renaming the two sites.Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Center for Near Eastern Studies,...

Consulting firm keen to increase uptake of technology and is reportedly monitoring adoption by workforceAccenture has reportedly started tracking staff use of its AI tools and will take this into consideration when deciding on top promotions, as the consulting company tries to increase uptake of the technology by its workforce.The company told senior managers and associate directors that being promoted to leadership roles would require “regular adoption” of artificial intelligence, according to an internal email seen by the Financial Times. Continue reading......

Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?Like many of us who are mindful of our plastic consumption, Beth Gardiner would take her own bags to the supermarket and be annoyed whenever she forgot to do so. Out without her refillable bottle, she would avoid buying bottled water. “Here I am, in my own little life, worrying about that and trying to use less plastic,” she says. Then she read an article in this newspaper, just over eight years ago, and discovered that fossil fuel companies had ploughed more than $180bn (£130bn) into plastic plants in the US since 2010. “It was a kick in the teeth,” says Gardiner. “You're telling me that while I am beating myself up because I forgot to bring my water bottle, all these huge oil companies are pouring billions …” She looks appalled. “It was just such a shock.”Two months before that piece was published, ...

Exclusive: Cross-party group 'deeply concerned' power plant may have misled ministers and regulators over source of wood pelletsEd Miliband is under pressure from MPs to suspend subsidies worth £2m a day paid to the owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire after court documents cast doubt on the company's sustainability claims.A cross-party group of 14 MPs and peers have called on the energy minister to halt the subsidies for Britain's biggest power plant while the financial watchdog investigates the company's claims about how it sources the millions of tonnes of wood pellets burned to generate electricity. Continue reading......

Drop of almost 39% for Centrica comes after mild weather meant households used less gas and electricityBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of British Gas has paused its plan to buy back shares from shareholders after the company's full-year profits slumped by almost 39%.Centrica reported adjusted earnings of £1.42bn for 2025, down from £2.3bn the year before, after a “challenging” year for the business as it undertakes a series of multibillion-pound investments. Continue reading......

Centrica has paused its share buyback after profits plunged, while new data shows Gen Z looking for AI-proof jobs in traditional tradesGood morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.Tough news for British Gas owner Centrica this morning, which announced it is putting share buyback plans ice after suffering a 39% drop for full-year 2025.2025 has been a year of real momentum and we have made bold investments as we continue the fundamental transformation of Centrica.The environment has been challenging, and performance has varied across the business.With major projects like Sizewell C, Grain LNG and our Meter Asset Provider laying the groundwork for more stable and predictable earnings, our long-term opportunities have never been better.Pausing the buyback enables us to prioritise investment that creates lasting value for shareholders, while continuing to deliver the reliable, affordable energy that households and businesses need to power economic g...

Once a PM is seen as hapless, there is no way back. But Labour has good plans – and with the political landscape fragmented, it could yet prevail Continue reading......

Threat of 9.5% property tax increase puts pressure on Governor Hochul, who is seeking re-election this yearZohran Mamdani, New York's democratic socialist mayor, has unveiled two new budget proposals for the city – one to raise income and corporate taxes, or another to raise property taxes – triggering resistance from some political figures in and out of the state.Mamdani's two proposals include either raising taxes on the city's wealthiest residents – which would require approval from New York's governor, Kathy Hochul – or a “last resort” measure of a 9.5% property tax increase, which could affect “more than 3 million single-family homes, co-ops and condos and over 100,000 commercial buildings”, according to the New York Times. Continue reading......

Report says common agricultural policy provides 'unfair' levels of support to unhealthy, meat-heavy dietsBeef and lamb receive 580 times more in EU subsidies than legumes, a report has found, despite scientists urging people to get more of their protein from less harmful sources.Analysis by the charity Foodrise found the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) provides “unfair” levels of support to meat-heavy diets that doctors consider unhealthy and climate scientists consider environmentally destructive. Continue reading......

The restaurant can keep menu term despite claim product is 'essentially chicken nuggets', Illinois ruling saysA customer who sued the US restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings after finding out their “boneless wings” were not in fact made of wings has been told by a US judge that his claim has “has no meat on its bones”.Buffalo Wild Wings can continue using the term “boneless wings” on its menu even though the product is “essentially chicken nuggets”, John Tharp, a district judge, ruled, dismissing a lawsuit that claimed the chain was misleading customers. Continue reading......