6:45 am, March 3, 2026
Rachel Reeves to insist she will stick with the plan at spring statement
The government has the ‘right economic plan for the country’, Rachel Reeves will insist at the spring statement.
The chancellor is expected to say the economy is ‘stronger and more secure’ as a result of decisions taken by the government as she addresses the Commons on Tuesday.
Reeves will point to falling inflation and interest rates cuts as successes which have resulted in an easing of living pressures.
BrewDog to shut 38 bars with 484 job losses despite US takeover deal
BrewDog has said it will shut 38 bars with the loss of 484 jobs, despite the Scottish craft brewer being snapped up in a rescue deal by a US firm.
Tilray Brands, which produces medicinal cannabis as well as craft beer in the US, has acquired the BrewDog brand in a £33 million deal. It bought a number of BrewDog assets including the global brand and related intellectual property, its UK brewing operation and 11 of its pub venues across the UK and Ireland.
The deal came after BrewDog fell into administration on Monday, in a move which will leave the brand’s crowdfund investors empty handed.
BMW launches ‘M Performance Track Kit’ on M2 coupe
The BMW M2 has just got a lot more track-focused with the option of the ‘M Performance Track Kit.’
The M2 fitted with the ‘M Performance Track Kit’ gains several exterior enhancements: a manually adjustable front splitter, wheel arch diffusers and an airscoop located under the engine’s oil cooler. There’s also a fixed, manually adjustable swan neck rear wing, along with four-way adjustable dampers and a new exhaust system.
The BMW M2 is priced at £70,095, with the M Performance Kit costing an additional £20,600 when the package is available to order from July. The M2 CS starts at £92,475, with the Performance exhaust system a £7,300 option when order books open soon.
The markets
Shares in London nursed heavy losses on Monday, alongside peers in Europe, as US and Israeli strikes on Iran sparked fears of a drawn-out conflict in the Middle East.
The FTSE 100 Index ended down 130.44 points, 1.2%, at 10,780.11. The FTSE 250 ended down 333.51 points, 1.4%, at 23,423.64 and the AIM All-Share closed 3.64 points lower, 0.4%, at 815.89.
The pound was lower at 1.3360 dollars on Monday afternoon, from 1.3458 dollars at the equities close on Friday. The euro stood lower at 1.1672 dollars, from 1.1818 dollars.
US Embassy attacked in Riyadh as Trump prepared for longer conflict
The US Embassy in Riyadh came under attack as president Donald Trump said the US could take ‘far longer’ than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.
The US and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, while Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.
Explosions rang out throughout the night in Tehran with witnesses describing hearing aircraft overhead. In Lebanon, Israel launched more strikes on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group.
Keir Starmer in row with Donald Trump over Iran strikes decision
Sir Keir Starmer defended his decision not to allow UK bases to be used by the US in the initial strikes against Iran in the face of criticism from Donald Trump.
The prime minister granted permission on Sunday for the US to use British bases to target Iran’s missile launchers and stores to help protect countries targeted by Tehran.
But the US president said he was ‘very disappointed’ in Sir Keir for initially refusing to allow the use of the UK-US Diego Garcia base to target Iran. Trump said it “took far too long” for the Prime Minister to change his mind.
Monday on Car Dealer
Google to reveal how AI search is changing the way consumers look for cars
Car dealers worried about how they make sure their stock appears in a world dominated by AI search will be able to learn how to get prepared thanks to Google.
Daksh Gupta held talks over becoming Big Motoring World CEO after Marshall departure
Motor trade legend Daksh Gupta held talks about becoming CEO of Big Motoring World before Laurence Vaughan was preferred for the role.
Grow with a partner who puts dealers first: Why franchised retailers should join KGM network
KGM explains what it could be the perfect brand partner for your franchised car dealership as outfit celebrates 70th anniversary [sponsored]
Weather
Rather cloudy in the south-west today with a few light spots of rain at first, while the south-east is partly cloudy, reports BBC Weather. Elsewhere will be mostly sunny, though far northern Scotland may see isolated showers.
Tonight, cloud thickens in the north-west with light rain, while southern areas see patchy cloud, clear spells and fog.
