Progress on gender equality at top of UK’s biggest firms ‘achingly slow’

Campaigners have bemoaned the “achingly slow” progress made on gender equality at the top of Britain’s biggest businesses, as research showed blue-chip firms had missed key targets and there were only nine female bosses at FTSE 100 companies.The average number of female FTSE 100 chief executives did not move last year, according to the government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review.They were Allison Kirkby at BT, Zoë Yujnovich at National Grid, Milena Mondini de Focatiis at Admiral, Stella David at Entain, Louise Beardmore at United Utilities, Margherita Della Valle at Vodafone, Amanda Blanc at Aviva and Cindy Rose at WPP.The report also considered Emma Walmsley at GSK and Liv Garfield at Severn Trent, although both women left their roles in December, as well as Carol Howe, the interim chief executive of BP, who is due to be replaced by Meg O’Neill in April.Debra Crew left the drinks group Diageo last summer after two years in which the company’s share price dropped more than 40%

Ex-DJ jailed in London for selling fake parts to airlines

A one-time techno DJ who orchestrated a £40m global fraud selling fake aircraft parts from his garage outside London has been jailed.Engine parts from AOG Technics found their way into planes used by American Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta and Ryanair before the scam was discovered, leading to regulators issuing safety alerts and planes being grounded.Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, director of the firm, was on Monday sentenced at Southwark crown court to four years and eight months in prison, after pleading guilty to fraud.An investigation by the Serious Fraud Office found that Zamora Yrala, 38, bought aircraft engine parts including seals, bolts and washers and sold them on to airlines and suppliers around the world, with forged certificates guaranteeing their airworthiness.Between 2019 and July 2023, AOG Technics sold more than 60,000 parts worth £6

‘Doubling down on meat’: is the UK’s love affair with vegetarian food over?

McDonald’s, Wagamama and others scale back plant-based choices in the UK in favour of ‘high-margin’ meat-led dishesIn 2021, vegetarianism and veganism were booming and menus reflected it. Restaurants and fast-food chains rapidly expanded their meat-free offerings, racing to meet growing demand from diners. McDonald’s launched its first plant-based burger, joining a wave of operators embracing non-meat options.Fast forward to 2026 and the landscape looks markedly different. Last month, the fast food chain announced it was axing most of its vegetarian range – sparing only its McPlant burger – owing to weak sales

Stock markets rally and US dollar dips after supreme court rules against Trump’s sweeping tariffs; Hat-trick of good UK economic news – as it happened

Stock market investors are welcoming the supreme court’s rejection of Donald Trump’s global tariffs.The Dow Jones industrial average, of 30 large US companies, is up 0.3% or 138 points at 49,533 points, having dipped slightly in early trading before the ruling was announced.The S&P 500 share index, which had opened flat, is now up 0.32%

Brighter UK economy gives Reeves a springboard for March statement

The economic backdrop to Rachel Reeves’s upcoming spring statement appeared to brighten on Friday after a trio of reports painted a better-than-expected picture of the UK economy.Record monthly public finances, a surge in retail spending and accelerating business activity offered the most coherent picture of recovery since last autumn, economists said, and provided the chancellor with a more positive narrative before her 3 March statement.“It’s been a hat-trick of good economics news for once for the UK,” said Sandra Horsfield, a senior economist at Investec bank. “We had a disappointing end to last year, but as things look, we may be starting 2026 on a much brighter note.”Public sector finances posted their biggest monthly budget surplus since records began in 1993, of £30

Aston Martin issues another profit warning and sells F1 naming rights for £50m

Aston Martin has warned that its losses will be worse than expected and sold its permanent naming rights to its Formula One team, as the struggling British carmaker battles to stabilise its finances.The luxury carmaker, majority-owned by the Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, said its earnings for 2025 would be worse than City forecasts, its fifth profit warning since September 2024.Analysts had been expecting the struggling company to post a loss of £184m at its annual results, due to be published next Wednesday.Aston Martin delivered nearly 10% fewer cars last year than in 2024 – 5,448 in total – as US trade tariffs battered sales and the company fell short on lucrative special edition deliveries. Shares fell as much as 4% on Friday morning before recovering some ground, down 2%