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Retail returns failures are leaving online shoppers without proper refunds. A Which? investigation found inconsistent reimbursement of returned goods and standard delivery charges across several major retailers.
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Co-op’s Southern deal faces deeper scrutiny from competition regulators now. The CMA says the completed transaction may reduce competition and will require remedies or an in-depth Phase 2 investigation.
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Ministers have left open further rules for advanced artificial intelligence. Existing UK regulation remains in force, but government says the framework may not always be sufficient as capabilities develop.
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Digital proof of age is now valid for alcohol sales. Licensed businesses in England and Wales can optionally accept certified smartphone-based verification alongside established physical identity checks.
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Essar has doubled its UK forecourt network through SGN Retail. The acquisition creates a 235-site estate and advances a strategy to build an 800-location, vertically integrated fuel-retail platform by 2031.
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Government intervention puts Speciality Steel UK closer to public ownership. Ministers are preparing an acquisition after rejecting a private bid, with more than 1,300 jobs and strategically important specialist-steel capacity at stake.
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MPs say utility regulators are failing financially vulnerable customers today. The Public Accounts Committee wants better data sharing, wider social-tariff take-up, and coordinated support as energy and water debt reaches £7.2bn.
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Britain’s first mainline battery-electric train fleet will support manufacturing jobs. Alstom will build 29 trains in Derby under contracts worth more than €1.2bn, with thousands of UK supply chain roles linked to the programme.
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A £350m chemicals resilience fund has entered UK subsidy review. The proposed scheme could cover half of eligible capital costs for producers supplying critical infrastructure and strategically important industrial supply chains.
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Brussels is reviewing its procurement defence tool as barriers grow. The EU will assess whether its International Procurement Instrument gives European businesses enough leverage when overseas public-sector markets restrict access.