A UK regulator has blocked the Microsoft-Activision merger. But don't blame it on Brexit.

Apr 26, 2023
Some experts say the decision is rooted in the U.K.'s efforts to develop its own tech industry.
The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority said a merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard would hamper innovation and reduce choice for gamers.
Belinda Jiao/Getty Images

UK public sector workers battle for pay hikes that match inflation

Apr 25, 2023
Following a rash of strikes in the public sector, some British workers have settled their pay disputes, but more are taking further action. And the government is striking back.
Doctors striking for a 35% increase in pay.
Mimisse Beard

Will Britain’s new trade deal with the Pacific Rim make a success out of Brexit?

Apr 20, 2023
Some say U.K. membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership will make up for any trade lost with the European Union after Brexit. But others have their doubts.
Above, signatories of CPTPP in 2018. Combined, the countries included are slated to account for 54% of global economic growth in the decades ahead.
Claudio Reyes/AFP via Getty Images

Hollywood on Thames: How the U.K. became the European home of the blockbuster

Apr 3, 2023
A generous tax break has attracted American moviemakers to the U.K., but the measure has its critics.
Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is greeted by Chewbacca during a 2016 tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studios in Iver Heath, west of London.
Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

With more Brits retiring early, the Bank of England warns of a shrinking workforce — and rising inflation

Jan 17, 2023
A surge in the number of early retirees threatens to prolong inflation in the U.K.
The Bank of England, seen above, warns that a shrinking workforce and prolonged labor shortages could drive up inflation.
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

Crisis at Christmas: Strikes disrupt the U.K. during the festive season

Dec 29, 2022
During a wave of industrial unrest, triggered by the cost of living crisis, striking workers voice their discontent from the picket line.
Workers strike outside a mail-sorting office not far from London. The now-privatized Royal Mail service says it can't afford an inflation-matching pay hike.
Mimisse Beard

In U.K. 4-day work week trial, companies see happier employees — and higher productivity

Dec 19, 2022
70 U.K. companies have just completed a 6-month experiment with a shorter week with full pay – and early results are promising.
While some companies that partook in the U.K.'s 4-day work week experiment saw benefits, labor experts are skeptical that it could be replicated at all businesses. Above, London commuters in December 2021.
Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Is Brexit to blame for Britain's mess?

Nov 9, 2022
Some critics of the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union say the country’s recent turmoil should drive it back into the bloc.
Anti-Brexit demonstrators march in London on Oct. 22.
Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Should the U.K. government nationalize the wind?

Oct 18, 2022
The opposition Labour Party recently proposed a publicly owned company to invest in renewable energy.
Offshore wind power supplies roughly 14% of the U.K.'s electricity needs yet the British government owns little of its generating output.
Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Fizzling out: a shortage of carbon dioxide hits U.K. food and drink industry

Oct 11, 2022
The war in Ukraine and the sharp hike in the price of natural gas has sent the cost of C02, a vital industrial chemical, soaring in Europe.
The U.K. is dealing with a shortage of CO2, which is essential in the meat industry as well as the brewing and serving of beer.
Getty Images