Business & Economy

Published: 28 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Avanti West Coast is set to return to public ownership in March 2027, marking another major step in the UK government's programme to bring passenger rail services under state control. The operator, which connects London with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and other destinations, will transfer into public ownership when its current contract ends on 7 March. The...

Published: 28 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online For savers across the UK, the latest rise in fixed-rate savings returns has created an increasingly difficult question: is now the time to lock away money, or would it be better to wait in the hope that banks and building societies offer even more attractive rates? Fixed-rate savings accounts are currently offering some of their strongest returns in...

Published: 26 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Three-quarters of the UK’s top-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles cannot use rapid public chargers, raising fresh questions about how effectively the increasingly popular vehicles can function as a practical bridge between petrol-powered motoring and full electrification. An analysis of the 20 most popular plug-in hybrid electric vehicle models sold in the UK found that only 26% of vehicles...

Published: 26 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Andy Burnham heads into the Labour party conference in Liverpool with a political message centred on hope and optimism, but the period immediately afterwards is likely to bring a series of difficult decisions across the economy, welfare, energy, public services, migration and foreign policy. The contrast between the tone of the conference and the pressures facing the government...

Published: 26 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A vast cache of confidential regulatory documents has exposed previously hidden details about the ownership, financing and operations of thousands of online casinos operating through Curaçao, potentially creating significant consequences for offshore gambling businesses and regulators responsible for overseeing them. The leak, known as the Casino Secrets files, contains tens of thousands of documents held within the Curaçao...

Published: 25 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online David Beckham has received a dividend of about £39 million from his commercial business empire following a record year of revenue and profit, with a series of major brand partnerships connected to the 2026 Fifa World Cup helping strengthen the former England captain’s global business profile. The payment came as DRJB Holdings, the commercial company behind Beckham’s wider...

Published: 25 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online TalkTalk is racing to secure the future of its remaining operations as mounting financial pressure raises the prospect of administration, with the telecommunications group working to complete separate transactions involving its consumer broadband business and wholesale arm. The company said on Friday that it had entered the final stages of a sales process covering its consumer operations and...

Published: 25 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A major community-led regeneration plan in Frome has suffered a significant setback after Somerset council selected a London-based property investment company as the preferred bidder for the town’s long-contested Saxonvale site. More than 1,000 local residents had backed the Mayday Saxonvale project, collectively helping to raise almost £1 million towards a plan that sought to transform the five-hectare...

Published: 25 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Britain’s food and drink trade deficit has climbed above £21 billion, reaching its highest level since 2000 as exports weaken and imports remain close to record levels. Industry representatives have described the figures as a warning for policymakers, arguing that the country needs a stronger long-term strategy to protect domestic food production and strengthen resilience against international disruptions....

Published: 25 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Iran is waiting for a response from US President Donald Trump to a proposal that could reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz within seven days and bring Washington and Tehran back into direct negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme. The proposal, presented through mediators, links the reopening of the major shipping route to a series of conditions that...