Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows‘Treating children like cattle’: what happens when private equity takes over a UK care home?Nurseries, vets and shops: the sectors where private equity plays a big roleOne pound in every £11 of UK government spending on contractors went to private equity-controlled companies last year, research shows, including key services such as transport, waste management and healthcare.Politicians and economists have raised concerns over the “financial fragility and sharp cost cutting” created by private equity-backed firms, which often have high levels of debt, and the “conflicting interests” in running public services for maximum profit. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 16:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Quarterly Ofgem price cap rises to equivalent of £1,862 a year from 1 July amid growing consumer energy debt Ministers are facing growing pressure to lower energy costs as households in Great Britain face the steepest rise in summer bills in four years this week.The quarterly cap on gas and electricity charges will rise by 13% from Wednesday to the equivalent of £1,862 a year for an average household, just days after figures revealed that consumer energy debt had reached record highs. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 13:04 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Deal could be announced in July and vow will safeguard future of shows such as Coronation Street and Love IslandSky has committed to spending £2bn on ITV’s studios business over the next five years as it hammers out a takeover of its broadcasting arm, a move that will safeguard the future of popular programmes such as Coronation Street and Love Island.Sky, owned by the US telecoms company Comcast, has been in talks for months to buy ITV’s media and entertainment operations, which include its free-to-air TV channels in the UK and the ITVX streaming platform. The £1.6bn takeover deal could be announced in early July, the Sunday Times reported. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 16:41 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

In the first of a series on nationalisation, we look at the critical tests ahead for the PM-in-waiting, from choosing a chancellor to the future of Thames WaterAs he swept towards victory in the Makerfield byelection, Andy Burnham told voters he wanted to see “the essentials of life being run primarily for the public interest, not for the private interests”.Citing the Bee Network of buses and trams across Manchester city region, brought together on his watch, Burnham repeatedly highlighted the need for more “public control” over the necessities of life. Water, energy, transport and housing are at the top of his list. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 06:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Home-grown food may become a niche product for wealthy in our supermarkets as British farmers’ incomes plummetFor Liz Webster, who farms 647 hectares (1600 acres) in Wiltshire, south west England, the latest impact of Brexit has been particularly brutal. About £400 per animal has been wiped off the price she can get for her beef cattle, a hefty blow at a time when all the inputs – feed, energy, fertiliser – are going through the roof.The fall in price, on livestock that typically fetch £2,000 to £3,000 per animal, is the result of a flood of cheaper meat arriving from Australia, the result of one of the new trade deals the government has signed since the UK left the European Union. Prices for beef in the supermarkets have remained broadly the same, but farmers have seen their income plummet. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 11:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Labour deputy leader says she thinks energy secretary would suit Treasury but ‘tittle-tattle’ over posts ‘unedifying’Ed Miliband would make a “good” chancellor to Andy Burnham, Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has said, before the likely next prime minister’s first major speech on the economy since he returned to Westminster.Powell, who served as Miliband’s chief of staff in opposition and is close to the former party leader, appeared to endorse him to run the Treasury – although some in Burnham’s camp acknowledge such a move could be politically risky. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 14:33 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Up to 4,000 community banks fear looming legislation to regulate digital cash will deprive rural firms and farmers of $850bn-worth of loansOn a quiet summer morning, above a small mid-western town, an American flag is waving in the breeze. The camera cuts to a father helping his son at the wheel of a tractor, and flits to a smiling couple on a grass-lined pavement, moments before flashing to grainy images of “crypto insiders” in suits.“American families don’t want experiments with their money,” a voice booms. “They want jobs, growth, and available credit. When crypto gets a free pass, communities pay the price.” Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 12:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN