Business

EasyJet agrees to £5bn takeover by US investment firm
Posted on Sunday July 05, 2026

Agreement in principle with Castlelake follows several rejected offers and means UK’s biggest low-cost carrier will be taken private

EasyJet has agreed a £5bn takeover by US investment firm Castlelake that will see Britain’s biggest low-cost airline taken private.

The companies announced an agreement in principle on Sunday evening in a statement to the stock market, and requested an extension to a deadline to complete the deal formally. The agreement came after weeks of negotiations and several rejected offers.

Make Ed Miliband chancellor, ex-chief Treasury adviser tells Andy Burnham
Posted on Sunday July 05, 2026

Nicholas Stern joins growing number backing Miliband, saying he has vision and experience to revive economy

A former chief economic adviser to the Treasury has called on Andy Burnham to appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor, arguing the energy secretary has a “bold” vision to revive the economy.

Nicholas Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics who was a senior figure in the Treasury during Gordon Brown’s tenure, said only Miliband had the experience and the strategic vision to accelerate investment and rebuild public trust in the state’s ability to “get things done”.

‘New direction, same old problems’: the economic challenges facing Andy Burnham | Richard Partington
Posted on Sunday July 05, 2026

Blair met good fortune when he assumed office, others such as Wilson faced tougher times. The PM-presumptive will start firmly on the back foot

In politics, timing and luck matter. Tony Blair had astounding good fortune, benefiting from goldilocks economic conditions and a weak opposition. Others have taken charge in tougher times: in the 1970s Harold Wilson faced a global energy crisis, as have the last four occupants of No 10.

As Andy Burnham prepares to replace Keir Starmer, there are clear economic headwinds for the prime minister-presumptive.

Can I take the day off for England’s World Cup game – and what if I’m late for work?
Posted on Sunday July 05, 2026

Millions of fans could face a tricky day on Monday if they sleep in – or pull a sickie – after the 1am kick-off

Whether it’s all over or another step closer to home on Monday morning, the usual back-to-work rush hour could be more sluggish than usual. The timing of the Mexico v England game – a 1am kick-off, and the prospect that it could go on until almost 4am if it goes to penalties – means that for many workers choosing to watch the match there will be not much opportunity for a sleep before the alarm goes off.

Delivery firm Evri sues BBC for £1.2m over Panorama documentary
Posted on Sunday July 05, 2026

Company seeks redress for contracts it says it has lost as a result of programme’s claims about its business practices

The parcel delivery company Evri is suing the BBC for £1.2m over a documentary it claims caused it serious financial loss.

Evri has filed particulars of claim at the high court which state that it lost prospective clients after the broadcast of the Panorama documentary Evri: Where’s my parcel?

OpenAI’s apparent failure to visit key site raises questions over UK investment
Posted on Saturday July 04, 2026

Exclusive: £20bn of ‘potential’ £30bn AI investment touted by UK ministers appears to have been hypothetical

It was to be the biggest undertaking in Britain for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Stargate UK – a multibillion-pound UK datacentre project – would represent “a major step forward in the US-UK technology partnership”.

But the plans were paused in April, with an OpenAI spokesperson citing concerns over regulation and high energy costs.

Bipartisan bill fails to protect US consumers from datacenters’ true costs, critics warn
Posted on Sunday July 05, 2026

Experts say Ratepayer Protection Act ‘posing as a consumer protection measure’ and will raise prices on working people

The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, designed to shield individuals from soaring electricity prices amid the datacenter boom, would fail to meaningfully protect the public from the centers’ true costs, consumer advocates warn.

The bill, backed by some in big tech such as Microsoft, moved through a House subcommittee in mid-June, and a vote in full committee scheduled for 1 July was delayed. Its measures are largely voluntary, meaning the state utility commissions that set electric rates can ignore the law altogether.