Source: Sharecast
Greater cooperation with the European Union could help reduce living costs for UK households by lowering post-Brexit trade barriers, Andy Burnham has argued ahead of a UK-EU summit later this month. The prime minister was expected to sign a series of agreements in Brussels on 20 November aimed at easing food and agricultural trade, strengthening emissions trading cooperation and expanding opportunities for young people to live, work and study across the UK and Europe. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Burnham said improved relations with the bloc could help bring down supermarket prices, support farmers and promote economic growth. According to The Independent, Burnham also suggested the summit should not mark the limit of future UK-EU cooperation, pointing to potential benefits for trade, security and migration management.
HMRC's long-running Making Tax Digital programme has now cost taxpayers more than £1bn after another year of rising expenditure, according to figures obtained via Freedom of Information requests. The flagship modernisation project, launched in 2015 to digitise VAT, self-assessment and corporation tax returns, incurred a further £142m of costs in 2025-26, taking total spending to £1.03bn. According to The Telegraph, the programme was now more than £800m over its original budget and remains years behind schedule. The initiative was initially intended to modernise the UK's tax administration system but has been beset by delays, revisions and technical challenges throughout its rollout.
Britain's largest banks have begun restricting AI-powered personal assistants from accessing customer accounts amid concerns over financial risks and accountability, according to reports. HSBC, Nationwide, NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds have all introduced measures preventing AI agents from independently conducting transactions or managing customer finances without direct user involvement. The Telegraph reported that lenders were concerned autonomous AI tools could make errors, creating uncertainty around liability and consumer protection. Banks were also said to be wary that widespread deployment of automated finance assistants could accelerate account switching and, in extreme scenarios, create broader financial stability concerns. The moves come as technology firms increasingly promote AI agents capable of handling tasks such as bill payments and shopping.
Whitbread's largest activist investor has suffered a setback ahead of a key shareholder vote after Norges Bank announced it would oppose efforts by Corvex Management to secure a board seat. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, which holds a roughly 3% stake in the Premier Inn owner, said it would vote against the appointment of Corvex partner James Gemmel at Monday's shareholder meeting. According to The Times, Corvex has built a near £300m position in Whitbread and has criticised management's capital allocation strategy, including plans to sell and lease back £1.5bn of property assets while continuing its expansion in Germany. The activist investor has argued that the strategy risks sacrificing valuable freehold assets to fund uncertain growth opportunities abroad.
Jaguar Land Rover has intensified its legal dispute with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, with representatives reportedly seizing digital records from the company's Dutch offices as part of an intellectual property case. The dispute centres on BYD's Ti7 SUV, which JLR alleges infringes on the design rights associated with the Land Rover Defender. A Dutch court was expected to consider the case this week. According to The Times, the Ti7 was due to launch in the UK in January with a starting price of £47,995, more than £20,000 below the Defender. The case comes amid growing competition from Chinese carmakers in Britain, with vehicles such as Chery's Jaecoo 7 attracting attention for their resemblance to established JLR models while carrying significantly lower price tags.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com