Business & Economy

Published: 23 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Denise Coates, the billionaire founder of Bet365, received at least £280m in 2025 despite a sharp profit slump. Her Stoke-based gambling empire saw turnover rise to £4bn for the year ending March 2025, up from £3.7bn previously, while pre-tax profits nearly halved to £349m from £627m. Coates’s enormous pay included £104m in salary and dividends exceeding £176m, reflecting...

Published: 23 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. A historic £100-a-week pension boost has been granted to former UK mineworkers after a prolonged campaign, offering relief to those who endured financial hardship. Former members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme will see a 41% uplift in their pensions, along with an average £5,500 lump sum backdated to when the government ended an unfair agreement seizing...

Published: 23 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Keir Starmer’s government has been urged to pursue closer trade ties with the European Union, highlighting a growing challenge for British exporters navigating post-Brexit agreements. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) described a strengthened EU trade deal as a “strategic necessity” to ensure companies can thrive, warning that the existing Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is increasingly failing...

Published: 16 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. BBC executives are “right to stick by their guns” in the face of a $10bn lawsuit filed by former US president Donald Trump, a UK minister has said, as pressure mounts on the government to publicly back the national broadcaster. Trump’s legal action targets the BBC over a Panorama programme that edited his January 6, 2021 speech in...

Published: 08 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. London-listed mining giant Anglo American has dramatically withdrawn controversial plans to pay its top executives multimillion-pound bonuses linked to the successful completion of its proposed $50 billion merger with Canadian rival Teck Resources. The sudden U-turn came just hours after intense criticism from major investors and proxy advisers who branded the scheme excessive and poorly structured. At the...

Published: 03 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Italian luxury fashion house Prada has officially acquired Versace in a $1.38bn (£1.04bn) deal, bringing two of Italy’s most iconic designer brands together. The purchase price is notably below the roughly $2bn Capri Holdings paid for Versace in 2018, marking a substantial discount. The acquisition expands Prada’s portfolio, which already includes Miu Miu, as the company aims to...

Published: 03 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Tesla has privately warned the UK government that weakening electric vehicle rules could harm future sales. Documents obtained by the Fast Charge newsletter show that the US carmaker emphasized risks to the country's carbon dioxide reduction targets. Elon Musk’s company submitted concerns to a government consultation earlier this year, highlighting potential market and environmental impacts. Tesla also requested...

Published: 03 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater provider, is edging ever closer to a critical deadline as it struggles to secure a major rescue deal needed to stabilise its finances. The company, burdened by nearly £20bn of debt, has warned that it has already spent £1.43bn of the £1.5bn emergency funding package it received, with the remaining...

Published: 01 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Virgin Media has been fined £23.8m after Ofcom concluded the company put thousands of vulnerable customers at risk during its transition from analogue to digital landline services. The regulator said the failures directly endangered people dependent on telecare alarms, which allow elderly and disabled individuals to call for help during emergencies. The penalty marks one of the most...

Published: 1 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Keir Starmer has warned that Labour’s economic plan will take years to deliver, urging the public and his political opponents to judge the government at the end of the parliament rather than during the turbulence surrounding last week’s budget. His remarks come after days of heated political debate, with critics challenging the chancellor’s decisions and accusing her of...