Business & Economy

Published: 29 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Air passengers across the United Kingdom are being cautioned to expect higher ticket prices as regional airports confront sharply rising tax pressures. A major overhaul of commercial property valuations has placed airports among the hardest-hit sectors, creating financial strain that industry leaders warn will ripple directly through airline costs and consumer fares. While aviation has faced repeated challenges...

Published: 29 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Britain risks losing a vital piece of its national identity if the ceramics industry collapses. The sector, spanning centuries-old Staffordshire potteries and smaller producers across the UK, faces unprecedented pressures from soaring energy costs, international competition, and long-term underinvestment. Unions and policy thinktanks have called on the government to urgently intervene, warning that inaction could have profound economic...

Published: 24 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. BP has confirmed an agreement to sell a majority stake in Castrol, its lubricants division valued at $10.1bn, to US investment firm Stonepeak. The deal, which will see Stonepeak acquire a 65% stake while BP retains 35% through a joint venture, is scheduled to close by the end of next year. The transaction represents a major step in...

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...