Finance

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Millions of pensioners across the UK are on course for another significant increase in their state pension after official wage figures indicated that payments could rise by 3.9% next April under the government’s triple-lock system. The latest earnings data show that total pay increased by 3.9% over the year, making wage growth the leading candidate for determining next...

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has warned that a future Reform UK government could move to prevent trade unions from financially supporting the Labour Party if proposed legislation blocks £72 million in donations announced for Reform UK. Farage's warning has intensified an increasingly heated dispute over political party financing in Britain, with the government considering tighter restrictions on...

Published: 15 September 2026.The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Several leading retailers in the United Kingdom are facing serious criticism after a consumer investigation found that some major online shops repeatedly failed to provide customers with refunds they may be legally entitled to when returning unwanted purchases. An investigation by consumer organisation Which? found that a number of prominent retailers either failed to reimburse the original delivery charge,...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Reform UK is facing growing scrutiny over two unprecedented £36m political donations after the party declined to disclose exactly when the wealthy donors behind the contributions returned to, or spent time in, the United Kingdom. The donations, worth a combined £72m, were made by cryptocurrency entrepreneurs Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne and have raised fresh questions about proposed...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Thames Water has revised plans for a major reservoir in Oxfordshire as the struggling water company attempts to move forward with one of the largest water infrastructure projects ever proposed in the south-east of England, despite strong opposition from local councils, residents and campaigners. The White Horse reservoir, planned near Abingdon, is designed to hold around 150 billion...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Oil prices moved higher on Monday after a series of drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its strategically important East-West crude pipeline, intensifying concerns over the security of global energy supplies at a time when oil and gas markets are already facing significant disruption across the Middle East. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose...

Published: 12 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Reform UK has received a record £36 million political donation from British cryptocurrency billionaire Ben Delo, placing the businessman at the centre of an increasingly intense debate over the influence of wealthy individuals on British politics and the rules governing political funding. The donation is understood to be the largest single contribution ever made to a British political...

Published: 10 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. John Lewis Partnership, the retail group behind John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, has reported a significant widening of its first-half losses as higher operating costs and weaker consumer confidence continue to put pressure on the business. The group recorded a pre-tax loss of £124m for the six months to 1 August, compared with a loss of...

Published: 10 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon has warned senior UK politicians that increasing taxes on banks could put investment and employment at risk, as the government considers whether to introduce higher levies on the financial sector in its upcoming October budget. Dimon, one of the most influential figures in global banking, met Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey on...

Published: 10 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. US President Donald Trump has pledged to give every adult American citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, making the extraordinary promise during a lengthy speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas. The proposal, which could cost the federal government more than $1...