6:25 am, June 30, 2026
Shop price inflation remains unchanged despite warnings of Middle East knock-on
Shop price inflation remained unchanged in June despite warnings of looming price hikes as a result of the Middle East crisis.
Prices remained 1.2% higher than a year ago in June, although this was above the three-month average of 1.1%, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NIQ said.
Inflation on non-food products increased slightly to 0.6% from May’s 0.5%, but food inflation fell to 2.4% from 2.7%.
United Utilities under fire over plans to hand top bosses share ‘allowances’
Water firm United Utilities has been accused of ‘corporate greed in plain sight’ after revealing plans to award its chief executive a shares ‘allowance’ worth £435,000 a year.
The supplier’s recent annual report shows chief executive Louise Beardmore is in line for the first tranche under the so-called allowance of shares in August, with the second instalment in February next year. She would need to keep the shares for at least two years, according to United Utilities.
The plans – which will be voted on by shareholders at the group’s annual general meeting on July 17 – have been heavily criticised by campaigners, coming after Beardmore was denied a £417,000 annual bonus for 2024-25 by regulator Ofwat after an incident at a reservoir in December 2024 led to the death of thousands of fish.
Alpine teams up with Lacoste for custom A290 Rallye
Alpine has partnered up with clothing brand Lacoste for a bespoke version of the A290 Rallye.
The two French firms have called their creation ‘Beware of the Crocodile’, which references Lacoste’s logo. On the outside, it features a widened track, large wings, roof intake and exposed carbon elements, while the colour mimics crocodile teeth. Inside there are anodised and red elements, plus Lacoste fabric is used on the seats.
The standard A290 Rallye is a rally-ready version of the electric A290 that has been made for customer competition. At present, there are no plans to put Alpine and Lacoste’s creation into production.
The markets
The FTSE 100 ended in the red on Monday as oil prices rose amid renewed tension in the Middle East and housebuilders fell after weak mortgage approval figures.
The FTSE 100 closed down 23.80 points, 0.2%, at 10,484.22. The FTSE 250 ended down 132.34 points, 0.6%, at 23,014.85, and the AIM All-Share fell just 0.24 of a point to 770.11.
The pound traded at 1.3247 dollars on Monday afternoon, higher from 1.3216 dollars on Friday. Against the euro, sterling firmed to 1.1597 euros from 1.1588 euros on Friday.
Starmer hails ‘game-changing’ investment as delayed defence plan to be unveiled
Sir Keir Starmer hailed the long-delayed plan for defence spending as a game-changing move that will keep the UK ‘safe and secure long into the future’ as he announced it will be published on Tuesday.
The defence investment plan (Dip), originally due last year, had been held back amid wrangling within Government over the amount of money required to finance the military.
Former defence secretary John Healey quit in protest over it, as he did not believe the Dip provided enough funding for the UK to transform its armed forces and meet future threats.
Resident doctors vote to accept 6.6% pay uplift to end year of strike action
Resident doctors in England have voted to accept an offer from the government to improve pay and working conditions, ending a year of strike action, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
There have been 21 days of strike action by the British Medical Association (BMA) Resident Doctor Committee (RDC) since July 2025 during the dispute.
The new package includes standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed medics and an average 6.6% pay uplift to be fully implemented by April 2027.
Monday on Car Dealer
Volkswagen steps up cost cutting plans with up to 100,000 jobs said to be at risk
Volkwagen is set to step up its cost cutting plans, with as many as 100,000 jobs likely to be axed as part of increased money saving measures.
BMW appoints new UK and Ireland CEO as Neil Fiorentinos replaces David George
BMW is to get a new boss in the UK and Ireland, with Neil Fiorentinos set to step into the hot seat later this year.
Is the Consumer Rights Act keeping pace with today’s more advanced vehicles?
The Consumer Rights Act has remained largely unchanged while the vehicles it governs have evolved dramatically, writes Warranty Solutions Group CEO.
Weather
Northern parts of the UK will start cloudy with rain today before sunshine and scattered, possibly thundery, showers develop, reports BBC Weather. Southern areas stay largely dry, although western regions could see afternoon showers.
Tonight, most places will be dry with clear spells, while north-west England, north Wales and Northern Ireland remain cloudier with patchy drizzle.
