4 h. ago Tycoons urge Rachel Reeves not to stifle entrepreneurs in the Budget

In an open letter, several business leaders said Britain's tradition of entrepreneurship' was being undermined by escalating costs following tax raids in last year's Budget.

Politics

27 h. ago Orbán’s claims of Trump summit triumph mask growing doubts over his grip on power

Embattled Hungarian leader says he won an indefinite reprieve from sanctions on oil and gas from Russia, but the US has since disputed thisAs Viktor Orbán would tell it, he had the perfect meeting with Donald Trump.After visiting the White House last week, the embattled Hungarian prime minister quickly declared victory, saying he had secured an indefinite exemption from US sanctions on oil and gas imported from Russia. The deal would shield Hungarians from skyrocketing energy prices ahead of parliamentary elections next year and potentially boost Orbán’s chances of extending his 15-year rule. Continue reading...

Politics

28 h. ago How salary sacrifice tax breaks greased the wheels of cargo bike businesses

Retailers worry about the impact of expected cap on cycle to work scheme in Budget

Transport

44 h. ago How a Texas shrimper stalled Exxon’s $10bn plastics plant | Shilpi Chhotray

Diane Wilson recognized Exxon’s playbook – and showed how local people can take on even the most entrenched industriesWhen ExxonMobil announced it would “slow the pace of development” on a $10bn plastics plant along the Texas Gulf coast, the company blamed market conditions. But it wasn’t just the market applying pressure; it was a 77-year-old shrimper named Diane Wilson who refused to stay silent. Her fight exposes big oil’s latest survival plan: ramping up oil and gas production to create plastic.I first met Wilson back in 2019 while tracking her historic lawsuit against Formosa Plastics, the Taiwanese petrochemical giant accused of dumping toxic plastic waste throughout coastal Texas. Billions of tiny plastic pellets were contaminating waterways, shorelines, and even the soil itself.Shilpi Chhotray is the co-founder and president of Counterstream Media and Host of A People’s Climate for the Nation Continue reading...

Economics

57 h. ago Reeves urged to cut windfall tax and not ‘sacrifice’ oil and gas workers

The Chancellor is due to deliver her budget later this month.

Economics

68 h. ago Despite America’s absence, Trump’s influence looms large over Cop30

In this week’s newsletter: Fear of retribution from the unpredictable president has left climate summit negotiators feeling nervous and vulnerable• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereUnder Donald Trump, America has not only jettisoned any effort to deal with the climate crisis, but has also attempted to stymie moves by other nations to shift to cleaner forms of energy, such as solar and wind.The climate crisis is “the greatest con job perpetrated by the world”, Trump told the UN in September, urging other governments to stick to oil and gas (preferably drilled in the US, of course) and ditch the “scam” of renewable energy.World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report findsFossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn peopleChina’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis findsCalifornia governor calls Trump ‘an invasive species’ at Cop30 climate talksTussles break out between protesters an...

Politics

3 d. ago Why the cost of YOUR Uber is going up: Labour's 'taxi tax' could send fares soaring with 20% VAT hike

Bosses at Uber, Bolt and Veezu - the biggest private vehicle hire apps in the UK - have written to Rachel Reeves urging her not to introduce the tax.

Economics

3 d. ago London pubs boss urges Reeves to spare struggling sector from more Budget punishment

Fuller’s boss said the pub chain faced an £8m increase in costs as a result of last year’s Budget

Economics

4 d. ago Fossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn people

Exclusive: ‘Deep-rooted injustices’ affect billions of people due to location of wells, pipelines and other infrastructureA quarter of the world’s population lives within three miles (5km) of operational fossil fuel projects, potentially threatening the health of more than 2 billion people as well as critical ecosystems, according to first-of-its-kind research.A damning new report by Amnesty International, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that more than 18,300 oil, gas and coal sites are currently distributed across 170 countries worldwide, occupying a vast area of the Earth’s surface. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Oil and gas demand to rise for 25 years without global change of course, says IEA

International energy watchdog sets out new pessimistic scenario to reflect fading commitment to climate change

Politics

4 d. ago Name and shame ‘shrinkflation’ culprits, Reeves urged ahead of Budget

Reeves must declare ‘war on bills’ at the Budget, the IPPR says

Politics

4 d. ago Millionaires group urge Reeves to introduce wealth tax to ‘lift kids of out poverty’

This appeal comes ahead of Reeves’s upcoming Budget announcement in Westminster later this month

Economics

4 d. ago Trump administration planning to allow oil and gas drilling off California coast

Plan, which Gavin Newsom, the governor, has said would be ‘dead on arrival’, will allow six lease sales from 2027 to 2030The Trump administration is planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the California coast for the first time in decades, according to a draft plan shared with the Washington Post.The move is guaranteed to set up a battle with the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a staunch opponent of offshore drilling. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago As climate alarmism fades, SNP must come clean about its stance on oil and gas

Just as Scotland stopped burning witches, it’s time to end the persecution of oil and gas workers

Society

5 d. ago Anas Sarwar backs oil and gas drilling and calls for 'balanced approach' to North Sea

The Scottish Labour leader has pleaded with his UK government colleagues to be “pursuing the opportunities that exist in oil and gas” in the North Sea despite a manifesto pledge to end new licensing.

Events

5 d. ago Rachel Reeves warned gambling tax hikes will 'hammer punters' and 'shut 3,400 bookies'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged by the IPPR think tank to more than double the tax rate on gaming machines in her Budget on November 26

Events

5 d. ago Tax rises are coming... and if air travellers are sacrificed to pay even more, it will be a disaster for Britain, says former BA boss

Rachel Reeves' plans to hike taxes on holidaymakers would be a 'disaster for Britain', a former British Airways boss has warned.

Economics

6 d. ago Call for people who reach state pension age to be paid for five years even if they die

Sir Steve Webb, who was pensions minister when the triple lock was introduced, has urged Rachel Reeves to implement a ‘minimum guaranteed payout’ of five years

Events

7 d. ago Fossil fuel lobbying of SNP ministers trebled since Glasgow COP26 summit

Oil and gas representatives have held more than 300 meetings with SNP ministers since November 2021 climate summit, a Sunday Mail probe found.

Politics

7 d. ago Reeves’ salary sacrifice tax hit could dent savers’ confidence, experts warn

Treasury plan to cap relief on pension contributions is set to raise £2bn a year

Events