UK business growth hits five-month low amid budget uncertainty and weak demand – business live
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsRachel Reeves could raise £45bn in taxes and keep promises, report saysThe EU is close to sealing a mandate from European leaders to start full-blown negotiations on a new agrif-food deal which will allow goods including British sausages and cheese into the single market with few trade barriers, the EU’s commissioner for trade Maros Sefcovic has revealed.It is also close to agreeing the terms of permitting the UK, a non-EU member, to participate in bids for defence procurement in the bloc, as part of the SAFE programme to increase local military ammunitions capacity and reduce reliance on the US.“I believe that very soon we will finalise our agreement of SAFE: this is how the UK can join the European public procurement for arguments.“We are expecting that in coming weeks [that] we will have the mandate to negotiate an agreement on sanitary, sanitary standards, the SPS… I believe that we can negotiate this agreement very fast, because it would clearly reproduce quite a lot [of immediate benefits] on both sides trading of products.”“These are technically extremely complicated issues, and I think that when we’ve been negotiating the trade and cooperations agreement, it was difficult to foresee how complex these issue are.. but you [we] want to restore high level of the cooperation.”“UK service providers experienced a disappointing end to the third quarter as weak consumer confidence, delays to business spending decisions and falling exports all weighed on demand. Business activity expansion hit a five-month low, while new order gains were much softer than the 11-month high seen in August.Consequently, this summer’s acceleration in output growth is now looking like a flash in the pan as elevated political and economic uncertainty has reasserted itself as a constraint on service sector performance. Many survey respondents suggested that corporate clients had deferred spending decisions until after the Autumn Budget, while households were also hesitant about major purchases. Continue reading...

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‘Motherhood penalty’ costs women an average £65,618 in pay by time first child turns five
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

Women’s average monthly earnings fall by 42% compared with one year before birth, ONS study findsMothers lose an average of £65,618 in pay by the time their first child turns five, as the “motherhood penalty” risks their financial security, official figures show.Mums in England are hit by a “substantial and long-lasting reduction” in their pay after they have children, as they become less likely to stay in paid employment, the Office for National Statistics have said. Continue reading...

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Trump looks to Nixon’s playbook - good for him, bad for the economy?
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

History suggests that bullying the Fed for political gain can have serious consequences for the rest of usOne of the more critical lessons economists gleaned from the Nixon administration is about the exorbitant cost of allowing politicians to mess with the Federal Reserve. Donald Trump also learned an important lesson from Richard Nixon – a very different one.Nixon had blamed the Fed for his loss in his first bid for the presidency in 1960. By keeping rates high, he believed, it caused a recession that led voters to punish the then vice-president. In 1972, he would not let that happen again. Continue reading...

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TikTok ‘directs child accounts to pornographic content within a few clicks’
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

Despite platform’s limits on adult content, study finds it not only accessible but often suggestedTikTok has directed children’s accounts to pornographic content within a small number of clicks, according to a report by a campaign group.Global Witness set up fake accounts using a 13-year-old’s birth date and turned on the video app’s “restricted mode”, which limits exposure to “sexually suggestive” content. Continue reading...

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Tesla sued by family of California teenager killed in fiery Cybertruck crash
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

Lawsuit alleges the design of the vehicle’s door handles is at fault for Krysta Tsukahara’s deathTesla is being sued by the parents of a teenager killed in a crash involving one of its Cybertruck pickups last fall. The incident involved four passengers who were in the vehicle when it hit a tree and caught on fire in a quiet Bay Area town in California, according to court documents.Only one of the crash victims survived. Continue reading...

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England off to Cricket World Cup flyer with 10-wicket demolition of South Africa
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

England, 73-0, beat South Africa, 69, by 10 wicketsBeaumont-Jones partnership make short work of chaseEngland romped home with a 10-wicket win in their World Cup opener on Friday, after dismissing opponents South Africa for 69 in 20.4 overs – the third lowest total in their history.South Africa have been a force to be reckoned with in global women’s cricket of late, reaching the final of the T20 World Cup last year and featuring in the semi-finals of the last 50-over competition, so this was a baffling and embarrassing display. Only one batter, wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta, made it into double figures, and six of their batters were clean bowled on a good pitch which rarely behaved unpredictably. Continue reading...

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Forest have no plans to sack Postecoglou; Antony scathing about United treatment: football – live
Posted on Friday October 03, 2025

⚽ Keep up with the latest news before the weekend’s action⚽ Premier League: 10 things to look out for | Email BarryThomas Tuchel is due to speak at 11am. No Bellingham, no Foden, no Grealish, no Wharton. Some explaining to do?Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento are both missing with injury. From the last squad, Jarell Quansah and Bukayo Saka come in. Continue reading...

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