Campaign groups rail against Palantir, but the UK contracts keep coming

AI analytics firm has become influential in Whitehall, and FCA deal gives it yet more access to data

‘The new ketchup’? How hummus spread beyond a niche into a British staple

News that chickpea dip is to join list of products used for UK inflation basket confirms its move into the mainstream

Energy shock talk grabs headlines but the Iran war is also driving the world towards a food crisis

Growers face soaring fertiliser and fuel costs as shipping choke point of the strait of Hormuz hits supply chains

‘Trumpflation’: how the Iran war’s economic storm could affect Britons

Yet another cost of living crisis looms with fuel, food, holiday, energy and home loan prices expected to rise

‘The stakes are enormous’: how a prolonged Iran war could shock the global economy

Donald Trump’s ‘little excursion’ is likely to have long-term effects, from oil prices to inflation to growth, say experts

Trump’s economic shocks are derailing Britain’s building plans

With major developments collapsing, pressure is growing on councils to concede on affordable housing and public amenities

‘It’s come at the wrong time’: how Iran war has floored the Gulf as a sports hub

Conflict has not only hit sporting calendar but laid bare weakness in plans for diversifying economies through sport

Lowering speed limits among contingency plans to curb UK oil demand

International Energy Agency recommends emergency measures, including working from home, as Iran war hits fuel supply

FTSE 100 loses all its 2026 gains as Middle East conflict hits shares, and UK borrowing costs reach highest since 2008 – as it happened

Money markets predict three quarter-point rises in UK interest rates this year, due to inflation shock from higher oil and gas prices

Labour dismisses Reform UK MSP candidates as ‘hopeless Tory rejects and oddballs’ as one is suspended – as it happened

Stuart Niven suspended after revelations he was struck off as company director, while other candidates have been accused of extremist statements including describing Humza Yousaf as ‘not British’

UK borrowing costs hit highest since 2008 as markets expect up to three interest rate rises

Deficit rises unexpectedly to £14.3bn in February as stock markets slide amid fears that Iran war will escalate

Starmer’s ministers look at new economic blueprint to quell voter anger

Devolution of tax powers to mayors, scrapping of national insurance and property tax overhaul on report’s menu

‘Huge build-up of risk’: London’s centuries-old shipping industry wrestles with Iran war

Insurers at Lloyd’s of London say cover is available at a price, while merchants view the danger level as too high

China has been preparing for a global energy crisis for years. It is paying off now

As other Asian economies race to conserve energy, China has huge reserves of oil and gas as well as alternative energy sources like wind and solar

Bank of England tipped to raise UK interest rates twice this year to fight inflation shock from Middle East crisis, as oil and gas prices rise – as it happened

UK central bank has left rates on hold, and warned that CPI inflation will be higher in the near term as a result of the ‘new shock to the economy’ from Iran war