First deliveries of British-made artillery barrels to Ukraine, under a £61 million contract supporting hundreds of UK jobs. British-made artillery barrels are being delivered to Ukraine, part of the UK’s enduring support.
New negotiating body to be set up as part of the first ever adult social care fair pay agreement, representing millions of care workers. Made up of trade unions and employers, the body will negotiate on pay, terms and conditions and wider employment matters, giving care workers a voice; The first ever fair pay agreement for care workers is backed by £500 million, part of the government’s landmark Employment Rights Act.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the end of year report from its monthly Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT), summarising key findings between April 2025 and March 2026 and longer-term trends. When we asked respondents whether they had concerns about a range of food related topics, from a list of options, food prices has consistently been the most common concern.
When people hear reports that oil prices are rising, they naturally expect petrol and diesel prices to follow. But there is another possibility that receives far less attention.
When most people hear about conflict in the Middle East, their first thought is usually the price of petrol or heating oil. For those of us in the far north of Scotland, that concern is understandable.
Over the past few years households have faced a series of financial shocks. First came the surge in energy prices, followed by the highest inflation rates seen for decades, rising interest rates, higher food costs and continued uncertainty over global events.
Living in Caithness means living with long winters, short daylight hours, older houses, electric showers, immersion heaters, and the constant background hum of energy costs. Over recent months I’ve been running a personal experiment: how far can I push down my daily electricity bill through simple behavioural changes — the kind anyone in the Highlands could adopt without spending a penny.
For years, oil prices have risen and fallen with little more than a shrug from many people in the UK. Unless you filled your car with petrol every week or ordered heating oil for your home, the changes often seemed distant.
Every evening the news shows missiles, damaged buildings and military briefings. These dramatic images dominate television screens and newspaper headlines.
As the new government wrestles with tight budgets and rising expectations, economist Ruth Curtice at the Resolution Foundation sets out a refreshingly sober roadmap for recovery. Her three‑step plan—balancing the books, tackling long‑term pressures, and boosting investment cuts through the noise to show how fiscal realism could support communities like ours, where every pound spent on energy, pensions, and infrastructure matters.
The Office for National Statistics has released the latest UK trade figures for May 2026, and—as is often the case with trade data—the picture is mixed. Some sectors are showing real strength, others are softening, and the overall balance is still firmly in the red.
If you stand on Dunnet Head on a windy day, it is easy to forget just how important Caithness has become. Electricity generated around Scotland flows south to millions of homes.
When people think about the war in Ukraine, they naturally think about the battlefield. But a second battle is taking place far behind the front lines.
Stand on the north coast of Scotland on a windy day and it is easy to believe we should have some of the cheapest electricity in Europe. Around us are expanding offshore wind projects.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, many people assumed the biggest effects would be felt in Eastern Europe. Instead, households across Britain soon discovered that a war more than 1,500 miles away could affect everything from electricity bills to supermarket prices.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) brought some welcome news for the Government. After a small decline in April, the UK economy returned to growth in May, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increasing by 0.1%.
As a new UK Government forms under Andy Burnham, national media will be full of commentary from “experts” on tax, energy, climate policy, and public spending. Many of these voices come from London‑based think tanks — organisations that produce reports, media commentary, and political analysis.
When the UK Government announced plans to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s in England, many parents and communities may have wondered. "Will the same rules apply in Scotland?" The answer is no — at least not at present.
Walk through Wick or Thurso today and you'll probably hear the same conversation. "There used to be a shop there" and "It's another empty building followed by "Everything's online now." For many people, the decline of the traditional High Street feels inevitable.
The announcement that the Cancer Research UK shop in Thurso is to close, following the earlier closure of its Wick branch, marks another sad chapter for Caithness High Streets. These are not ordinary retailers chasing profits.