‘You’d be ashamed to bring someone here’: The struggling billionaire-owned high street that shows Reform’s road to No 10

Newton Aycliffe was meant to be a model town for a fairer postwar Britain. But unaffordable rents on a high street amounting to 0.12% of its property tycoon owner’s holdings have made it a symbol of decline – and a warning for Labour

Royal Mail delivered Christmas letters and parcels late to about 16m people

‘No light at the end of the tunnel for consumers’ as 2025 figure is 50% higher than previous year, says Citizens Advice

Coinbase adverts banned in UK for suggesting crypto could ease cost of living crisis

Advertising Standards Authority says firm advised by George Osborne ‘trivialised risks of cryptocurrency’

UK veterinary sector reforms planned to tackle high costs of pet care

Proposals would require clearer pricing and transparency as CMA finds fees have risen at nearly twice rate of inflation

Euston HS2 back on track, say ministers as final tunnelling begins

First of two 1,600-tonne boring machines drilling the 4.5 miles from Old Oak Common station switched on in London

U-turn on pubs has not solved the government’s mess on business rates

The package being offered is not insignificant but the hospitality sector is still in trouble

Rayner urges government to stand firm over £250 ground rents cap

Former deputy PM warns against ‘vested interests’ trying to block measures for leaseholders in England and Wales

‘It’s a hospitality-wide problem’: night-time traders react to business rates relief plan

Gyms, pharmacies, restaurants, cafes and convenience store owners question why only pubs and live music venues should get help in England

Pubs and live music venues to get support after business rates backlash

Package worth at least £80m a year for England and extra to come for Wales and Scotland receives mixed reaction

Starmer’s fraught visit to China will tell us what he really thinks of the UK’s place in the world

Does Britain have any leverage over human rights or security concerns or is it a decaying nation that cannot risk trade relations, asks professor of global history Peter Frankopan

City minister accused of ignoring £2bn car finance tax loophole

Critics say banks will be able to avoid tax on compensation payouts to victims of £11bn loans scandal

UK expected to reduce amount of steel it allows in tariff-free

Change being considered amid global glut driven by supplies from China along with a rise in protectionism

Wall Street landlords have met a surprising opponent in Trump. So why is Starmer courting them?

To win votes, Trump can afford to face up to corporate power – to deliver his promised 1.5m homes, Starmer can’t, says writer and researcher Adam Almeida

Nigel Farage’s trip to Davos hosted and paid for by family trust of billionaire

Trust says Reform UK leader was invited to WEF event by London-based venture capitalist as an honorary adviser

Put north of England ‘front and centre’ of net zero strategy, Reeves urged

Region has higher share of net zero economic output, data shows, and Labour leaders fear Reform would dismantle industry if it wins power