6:57 am, May 1, 2026
Premier Inn owner Whitbread plans 3,800 job cuts under five-year overhaul
Premier Inn owner Whitbread has announced plans to cut around 3,800 jobs in the UK and Ireland as part of a new five-year strategy to make £250m in cost savings and overhaul its restaurants.
The hospitality group said it wanted to save money in light of cost pressures coming from business rates and national insurance contributions.
Its new five-year plan includes the increased cost-saving target and steps to cut capital spending by more than £1bn.
Bank signals interest rates could rise as Iran war to push up cost of living
Bank of England policymakers have signalled that interest rates could rise later this year if the Middle East energy shock has a longer-lasting effect on the cost of living.
The outlook comes as interest rates were held at 3.75% on Thursday.
The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said it had decided to hold borrowing costs steady but that it was alert to the evolving situation in the Middle East.
Range Rover Westminster Edition brings a touch of class and British heritage
Land Rover has revealed another variant of the Range Rover, and it’s all about British culture with the ‘Westminster Edition.’
The Westminster Edition is about making a statement and features lots of details that refer to Britain’s capital.
Its exterior gains bespoke ‘Westminster Edition’ badging and 22-inch diamond-turned alloy wheels. Its cabin boasts Natural Black birch veneer inlays on the centre console and door cards, which Land Rover says is a ‘subtle reference to 10 Downing Street.’
The markets
The FTSE 100 made strong progress on Thursday as investors weighed a barrage of earnings, interest rate calls and the latest developments in the Middle East.
The FTSE 100 closed up 165.71 points, or 1.6%, at 10,378.82. The FTSE 250 ended up 264.28 points, 1.2%, at 22,465.15, and the AIM All-Share rose 5.66 points, 0.7%, at 794.09.
In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended up 0.5%, and DAX 40 in Frankfurt jumped 1.4%.
Terror threat level raised to ‘severe’ after Golders Green attack
The UK terrorism threat level has been raised to ‘severe’ in the wake of the Golders Green stabbings, meaning a terror attack is ‘highly likely’.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre announced the decision on Thursday, the day after two Jewish men were stabbed in north London and in the wake of a spate of attacks in Jewish neighbourhoods in recent weeks.
The body, which is based in MI5 but makes independent assessments, previously set the threat level at ‘substantial’, meaning an attack was ‘likely’.
Trump to remove Scottish whisky tariffs after King and Queen’s US visit
Donald Trump has said he will remove tariffs on Scottish whisky following a visit from the King and Queen.
The US president cited the Scotch industry’s relationship with the American bourbon industry and the impact of the royals’ visit to the White House. Most Scotch producers source their casks from the US.
Mr Trump said that while ‘people have wanted to do this for a long time’ the King and Queen ‘got me to do something that nobody else was able to do’.
Weather outlook…
The UK will today enjoy a pleasant and largely settled spring day. In the south, expect warm sunshine with highs around 20–21 °C.
The Midlands will be similarly bright with light cloud and mild temperatures.
In northern England and Scotland, it will be slightly cooler with more cloud at times, but still mostly dry and calm.
