Business

‘The violence is off the scale’: staff and passengers at risk as assaults on trains in Great Britain soar to record high
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Cases of abuse, spitting, head-butting and sexual harassment, have spiked as transport police numbers have dwindled

When a train was halted outside Exeter St Davids station on Monday, rail staff leapt to one conclusion: there had been a violent incident on board.

“Someone will have kicked off,” one staff member said. “It happens all the time. My boss got head-butted recently.”

Nigel Farage questioned by standards commissioner over £5m gift
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Reform UK leader was interviewed for half an hour last month over money from crypto billionaire

Nigel Farage has been interviewed by the standards commissioner for an investigation into whether he should have declared a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.

The Reform UK leader spent about half an hour being questioned over the money, the Sunday Times reported. Farage maintains the gift was for his personal security.

UK car industry faces ‘difficult trade-off’ between Chinese and EU markets
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Britain under pressure to put tariffs on cheap Chinese vehicle imports ahead of protectionist trade measures

Britain’s car industry is grappling with a “difficult trade-off” between China and Europe, as manufacturers struggle to balance the benefits of both markets ahead of looming trade measures that could restrict UK exports to the EU.

The UK is an outlier in choosing not to put import taxes on Chinese vehicles, even as the US has shut them out almost entirely, and the EU imposes duties of up to 45%.

Costa’s coffee shops return to profit with iced drinks and matcha on the menu
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Costa Ltd reports operating profit of £20m in year to 31 December 2025 after losses of £13.5m in 2024

Costa’s main coffee shop arm has returned to an operating profit after revamping its high street outlets and broadening its menu with iced drinks, matcha and fresher pastries.

The chain, which has 2,700 outlets in the UK and Ireland out of 4,000 globally, and employs about 20,000 people, also opened a net 50 new outlets in the UK last year – its first net increase in several years.

Tories to pledge to scrap Environment Agency and Natural England
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Shadow chancellor will also promise to scrap affordable homes regulations as part of strategy to refocus on growth

The Conservatives will announce a bonfire of regulations including abolishing affordable homes and community funding rules as well as scrapping Natural England and the Environment Agency.

The shadow chancellor, Andrew Griffith, will say the party intends to “streamline regulations” that protect nature and oblige developers to include affordable homes and community services such as GP surgeries, to speed up infrastructure and housebuilding.

Ministers explore how to stop regional leaders misusing planned new spending powers
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Labour wants to make sure mayors and council chiefs in England can be held to account for extra revenues devolved to them

Ministers are mulling over how to ensure that England’s regional leaders do not misuse their newfound spending muscle, as Whitehall prepares to devolve more revenue to local levels.

Ideas under consideration include a new select committee in Westminster, enhanced reporting rules and a new audit body focused on local and regional government.

‘We are in a kind of war’: row over viral Amsterdam chip shop lands in court
Posted on Sunday October 04, 2026

Neighbours say crowds drawn by TikTok to Fabel Friet are clogging the picturesque canal street and attracting litter, gulls and rats

People living in one of Amsterdam’s most exclusive neighbourhoods have taken the city to court for licensing a chip shop that has gone viral on TikTok.

On busy days, the queue for Fabel Friet on Runstraat stretches across a bridge on the Keizersgracht – one of Amsterdam’s most famous canals – a court was told last week. The narrow street itself is crowded by tourists waiting for their orders seven days a week. And loitering with intent – on parked cars, on the street itself, and on steps and porches – gulls wait to swoop.