McDonald’s has officially launched its much-anticipated 2026 trading card promotion in the UK, combining food, collectibles, and cash prizes in one of its biggest marketing campaigns in recent years. The new promotion introduces a unique set of 25 collectible cards, offering customers the chance to win rewards ranging from free meals to a massive £10,000…
In a major retail development, The Works has officially shut down its online shopping operations, marking a significant shift toward its physical store network. The move comes after ongoing operational challenges and declining performance in its e-commerce business. The company confirmed that its website will now function as a non-transactional platform, allowing customers to browse…
Changes to the student loans system quietly announced in the last budget have provoked a loud and angry response that has woken up Westminster to what anyone who did a degree in the 2010s, and their parents, already knew. The debt burden is rising, squeezing young workers as they approach their earning prime. With around…
Naval escorts will not guarantee safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and could even present a target for Iran as it attempts to leverage control of the vital shipping lane, the head of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has warned. Speaking at the start of a two-day emergency meeting of the…
There is a small fraction of the population for whom the release of the government’s new Steel Strategy represents an extraordinarily fascinating, not to mention important, moment. The chances are you are not one of those people. However, allow me to make the case that this document published by the government today represents something very…
UK unemployment has remained at its highest rate in five years, new official figures show. The jobless rate was 5.2% in the three months to January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. Before last month, such a high hadn’t been seen since the three months to January 2021. The increases in the last…
Almost 200,000 students who were at university during the COVID-19 pandemic are seeking financial compensation. The Student Group Claim argues that students at the start of the pandemic did not have access to the tutoring and services they paid for, as teaching was moved online. The action first started in 2023 when 100,000 students signed…
Sharp rises in the price of oil and gas as a result of the war in Iran have set off an economic chain reaction which is already hitting people in the pocket. The benchmark Brent crude oil remains around $110 a barrel, compared to around $72 before the war. And a unit of wholesale gas…
Average annual energy bills will rise by £332 in July, more than double the previously anticipated increase, due to high oil and gas prices driven by the war in Iran, trusted forecasters predicted. If it comes to pass, it will mean the most expensive typical annual bills in three years, at a high last seen…
A US jury has found Elon Musk misled investors by deliberately driving down Twitter’s share price in the months leading up to his $44bn (£33bn) takeover of the social media company. But the tech tycoon, and the world’s richest person, was cleared of some fraud allegations in the civil trial in San Francisco. The case…
