feeds

For gluten-free, citrus-free and tomato-free Kerry Clayton, shopping and cooking is a challenge.

As well as her own food requirements, her 10-year-old son is dairy and wheat-free.

The family shops at multiple stores each week to get the best free-from options, cooks adaptable meals like jacket potatoes and pasta, and makes cakes and cookies from scratch.

She spends about an hour a week baking, on top of running two online jewellery businesses and parenting another child.

When M&S launched its Only range in March, with products featuring six or fewer ingredients, Ms Clayton described it as “a dream”.

That was despite higher prices – its one-ingredient corn flakes cost £2.50 for a 325g box, compared with 90p for 500g of the standard kind.

“For standard shoppers, it seems a lot, but for us with allergies, it’s about normal,” says Kent-based Ms Clayton.

“It’s hard to find enjoyable things we can all eat. If you’re used to the luxury of standard cereal, you might not enjoy alternatives, or understand the extra cost – but for those of us that need low ingredient food, it’s perfect.”

Life might just be about to get a lot easier for Ms Clayton. More retailers and food brands are taking M&S’s lead to offer more items containing fewer ingredients, prompted by the concern around ultra-processed food (UPF) that has been growing since Dr Chris Van Tulleken released his book, “Ultra-Processed People”, in 2023.

There is much debate over how to classify ultra-processed foods.

However, less processed foods are growing in popularity.

Matthew Hopkins, founder of IND!E, a platform which helps small food and drink brands get into big retailers, says he’s seen a 40% increase in retailer enquiries over the past year about products with fewer ingredients. He is taking bigger orders specifically from Ocado, Selfridges and John Lewis.

“Retailers are responding to growing consumer demand for simpler, more recognisable ingredient lists,” says Harrogate-based Mr Hopkins.

Feeling the need to offer a less-processed product, plant-based brand THIS, which makes meat-free sausages, burgers, chicken and bacon, has recently launched a new Super Superfoods range.

It’s designed to be the protein component of a meal, and features natural ingredients, like beans, seeds and mushrooms.

THIS is also responding to surveys indicating that shoppers are avoiding meat replacement products, due to their processed nature and the presence of artificial additives.

Luke Byrne, innovation and sustainability director at THIS is concerned about “consumer confusion and hesitation”.

“We understand we are classified as a UPF, however, that has little bearing on whether our products are healthy, because their nutritional properties are extremely good. Our products are high in protein, high in fibre, low in saturated fat and low in sugar,” says London-based Mr Byrne.

“It has been frustrating in many ways as it has shifted the focus away from the most important thing about food, which is the nutrition aspect.”

So has the public been misled that all ultra-processed food is bad, and all unprocessed food is good?

Nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness thinks so, expressing disappointment that the M&S Only range puts “hype over health”.

“It may be that consumers are looking for products with shorter ingredient lists, but to leave out fortified nutrients is a backwards step for public health nutrition. We should be encouraging more nutrient dense foods in the diet, and fortifying products such as plant milk and dairy alternatives and breakfast cereals,” says Edinburgh-based Dr Wyness.

“This seems like one occasion that the customer is not always right – mainly due to the misinformation that is informing their food choices.”

Dr Jibin He says UPF as a term is not a helpful indicator of whether something is healthy or unhealthy, as the concept, and how it is explained to the public, is flawed.

Processed food, Dr He notes, will remain an essential part of feeding a large and growing human population, as processing ensures food safety, extends shelf life, and reduces waste.

“Take tofu as an example. It is a great source of protein, low in fat and considered as a healthy alternative to meats, particularly red meat. It is also more environmentally friendly.

“However, tofu could be considered as a UPF whereas red meat would be an unprocessed food,” says Dr He, who is head of science and a chartered food scientist at Teesside University. He has also collaborated with food manufacturers and food technology companies to improve processing technologies.

He argues that tofu might fall into the ultra-processed category if it had certain additives.

For food brands wanting to create less processed products, Dr He advises that it can be done by simplifying the formulas of existing products, and looking at new processing and packaging technologies that mean fewer ingredients can be used.

“Many food products have extremely complex formulas, and a manufacturer may not fully understand the functions of each listed ingredient in their formula.

“I would advise food manufacturers to closely examine their formulas and identify which ingredients are absolutely necessary and which they can do without,” Dr He recommends.

“Novel food processing technologies can also help produce products with higher nutritional retention and longer shelf life without significantly altering the physical structure and chemical composition of the food.”

Dr He is also expecting a rise in marketing to push the virtues of less processed food products, as well as to justify their higher price points.

Premium porridge brand 3Bears, for example, recently launched its own range of low ingredient breakfast cereals, in partnership with footballer Harry Kane. Mr Kane appears in product promotion, and is also a company shareholder.

3Bears’ oat cinnamon loops, containing seven ingredients, are priced at £3.99 for 250g.

That’s compared with Only multigrain hoops from M&S, containing five ingredients, at £2.50 for 300 grams, while Waitrose Essential multigrain hoops are £1.25 for 375 grams, and contain 22 ingredients.

“With our oat flakes it was really hard to get the texture and crunchiness right – as we only wanted to use three ingredients, and oats are very different to process than other grains. With the costs of creating products with fewer ingredients higher and the process harder, the price points are reflective of this,” explains 3Bears co-founder Caroline Nichols.

For some foods, the debate over UPF, seems less of a problem.

The UK confectionery market continues to grow steadily, and is worth about £14.8bn, despite it having a high proportion of UPF products.

Ice cream ball brand Little Moons might list over 30 ingredients on some of its flavours, but it now exports from the UK to 35 countries, and supermarkets have copied it with own-brand versions.

Ross Farquhar, the company’s marketing, innovation and sustainability director, is confident that treat food brands can ride out the UPF storm, so he isn’t in a hurry to slash Little Moon’s ingredient list.

“The reality of a category like ice cream is that certain ingredients are needed to keep the product stable through the food supply chain, like emulsifiers and stabilisers. So unless we’re all going to start making ice cream at home regularly then off-the-shelf ice cream still has a role to play,” says London-based Mr Farquhar.

“I’m sure the M&S ‘Only’ chocolate bars are delicious, but they’re speaking to a very specific audience, and I doubt the big confectionery brands are going to be willing to compromise the core product attributes consumers love.”

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The wedding ceremony was almost over when newlywed Bobby Underwood stepped on a napkin-covered glass to break it, as is Jewish tradition, and everyone shouted “Mazel Tov!”.

But as he and his new wife Siobhan turned to walk back down the aisle, their wedding officiants said, “Wait.” There was a surprise.

“All of these drones started rising up,” recalls Mrs Underwood. “It was honestly remarkable, very overwhelming – and incredibly emotional for us.”

Around 300 drones appeared in the night sky, displaying lights of various colours, and forming images chosen to represent the bride and groom.

These included a baseball player hitting a ball – as Mr Underwood is a big baseball fan – and a diamond ring being placed on a finger.

The couple were married on New Year’s Eve 2024, in New York State. Mrs Underwood’s mother had arranged the surprise drone show with help from the couple’s wedding planner – who had suggested it as a “wow factor” component of the day. It seemed to have the desired effect.

“It was kind of just shock – ‘Is this really happening right now?’,” says Mrs Underwood. “I can’t believe my mom did this for us.”

Drone shows are becoming ever more popular. Once rarities, they are now appearing at occasions ranging from birthday parties and weddings, to major sporting events. Some theme parks even have resident drone shows that take place multiple nights in a row.

Glastonbury music festival had its first drone show in 2024, flown by UK-based drone show company, Celestial.

And record-breaking displays are pushing the technology to its limits – the biggest drone show in history took place in China last October. It featured a total of 10,200 drones and broke a record set only the previous month. So, does all this spell the end for fireworks?

“They are really beautiful – they are art,” says Sally French, a US-based drone industry commentator known as The Drone Girl. She says that drone shows have appeared at baseball games, corporate conferences, and even at ports, to celebrate the launch of cruises.

Drone displays are becoming highly sophisticated, she explains, with some drone shows featuring thousands of flying devices, allowing them to animate figures or patterns in incredible detail.

“I saw a Star Wars-themed drone show where there was a full-on lightsabre battle,” adds Ms French.

One barrier might be the price tag, however, with the cost per drone at around $300 (£220) in the UK, says Ms French, citing industry data from drone show software firm SPH Engineering: “A 500 drone show would be over $150,000.”

Mrs Underwood does not have an exact figure, but estimates that her wedding drone show cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The sky’s the limit, actually. Skymagic, one of the world’s largest drone show companies, has put on major displays that cost north of $1m says Patrick O’Mahony, co-founder and creative director.

Skymagic’s shows have taken place in various countries – including the 2023 Coachella music festival in California.

The company has also performed drone shows in the UK, including as part of the King’s Coronation concert, which was broadcast by the BBC.

Mr O’Mahony has worked with designers of fireworks displays and other, similar events. But drones have revolutionised outdoor public displays, he says.

His company has a fleet of 6,000 custom-designed drones. Each one can reach speeds of up to 10 meters per second. The drones sport LED lights and have batteries that allow for 25 minutes of flight time.

To make them easier to transport, the drones are stored in flight cases and unpacked at venues in a giant marquee before they are laid out in the take-off area, half a metre apart, in a grid pattern.

“Once the drones have received their ‘go’ command [they] fly the entire show,” adds Mr O’Mahony, explaining that a single human pilot on the ground controls thousands of the devices at once.

The drones are geo-fenced, based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data, which prevents them from straying beyond the allotted flight area. In windy conditions, though, they can get blown off course. In such cases, they automatically return to a landing spot on the ground, says Mr O’Mahony.

Fireworks have a “boom” factor that drones generally don’t, notes Ms French. However, Bill Ray, an analyst at market research firm Gartner, says that some drones can now launch pyrotechnics, for a firework-like effect. For instance, a stream of sparks raining down from the lower portion of an image created by a group of drones.

Plus, Mr Ray says it is much easier to accurately synchronise drone movements with music during a show, which could be another reason behind their appeal. But the cost of shows remains prohibitive to some, and in part comes down to the fact that laying out the devices and gathering them all up again after the performance is still a relatively slow, manual process, adds Mr Ray.

Pedro Rosário is chief executive of Drone Show Animations, a company that designs drone show performances for other companies that supply the drones themselves. Mr Rosário says that one challenging aspect of his work is in coming up with displays that adhere to various regulations applying to drone flights, since these rules differ from country to country. England has stricter regulations than countries in the Middle East, for example, he says.

Mr Rosário adds that drone shows, which might be paired with pyrotechnics, traditional fireworks or even lasers, allow for a huge degree of creative freedom: “You can really build something that has emotional value, it can tell a story.”

In Mrs Underwood’s case, that seems to have worked. Her guests enjoyed the spectacle too, she adds: “We’ve heard compliments about our wedding in general – but, consistently, the drone show is something people bring up as something they never expected to see.”

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It’s lunchtime in a bar in the southern Spanish city of Seville. The kitchen is humming with activity, and behind the bar a member of staff pours cold beer from a tap into a glass.

Nearby, another uses a carving knife to cut slices from a large leg of jamón ibérico, or Iberian ham, placing each one on a plate, to be served as an appetiser.

There are few more Spanish scenes. And there are few more Spanish products than jamón ibérico, whose unique salty flavour is renowned across the world, and part of a national cured ham industry worth nearly €750m ($850m; £630m) each year in exports.

As he watches the jamón being carved, Jaime Fernández, international commercial director for the Grupo Osborne, which produces wine, sherry and the renowned Cinco Jotas brand of ham, describes it as a “flagship” national foodstuff.

“It’s one of the most iconic gastronomic products from Spain,” he says, pointing out how the pigs used to make the ham are reared in the wild and fed on acorns. “It represents our tradition, our culture, our essence.”

But jamón ibérico, like products across Spain and the rest of Europe, is facing the threat of trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

There was no tariff on Spanish ham exports to the US until April of this year, when a 20% charge on all European imports was suddenly introduced, dropping to 10% pending negotiations.

However, in May Trump unsettled European exporters again when he said that the tariff for all EU goods could rise as high as 50% if trade talks with Brussels do not come to a successful agreement. The current deadline for this is 9 July.

“The United States is one of our top, priority markets,” says Mr Fernández. “The uncertainty is there, and it complicates our medium-and long-term planning, investments and commercial development.”

The tariffs, he adds, “pose a threat to our industry.”

Spain’s overall economy is in rude health. The IMF has forecast growth this year of 2.5% – much higher than the other main EU economies – and unemployment is at a 17-year low.

But the tariff issue comes as a blow for the country’s pork industry, which represents more than 400,000 direct and indirect jobs, and is Europe’s largest.

Demand for cured ham in the US has grown substantially in recent years, and it has become the biggest importer of Spanish ham outside the EU.

But the Spanish industry now faces the prospect of having to raise retail prices for US consumers and therefore losing competitivity to local products, or those not subject to the same tariffs.

Spain’s olive oil sector is in a similar quandary. The world’s biggest producer of olive oil, Spain had set its sights on the US as a burgeoning market whose growth was driven by growing awareness of the health benefits of the product.

Yet the the tariff turmoil comes just as Spanish producers and exporters have recovered from a drought that slashed harvests in the south of the country, and sent prices temporarily soaring.

The US represents half of world olive oil consumption outside the EU.

It is also the country whose imports of the foodstuff from Spain have grown the most in recent years, increasing from approximately 300,000 tonnes per year a decade ago to around 430,000 tonnes, says Rafael Pico Lapuente, director general of the Spanish association of olive oil exporters (ASOLIVA).

Much will depend, he says, on the final tariff set for the EU.

“If there is a 10% tariff which is permanent, without differentiating between countries of origin, it’s not going to create a distortion on the international market,” says Mr Pico Lapuente.

He explains that American consumers might have to absorb the extra cost. And although local US producers of olive oil or similar products would gain a competitive edge, their output is small enough for it not to concern the likes of Spain.

However, he says it would be “a different story” if Trump introduced higher tariffs for the EU than for competitor olive oil countries outside the bloc – such as Turkey, the world’s second-largest producer, or Tunisia, an emerging grower. That scenario, he says, would have a major impact on the world market and Spanish producers.

But variations in tariffs between countries or trade blocs would also lead to a certain amount rule-bending and even chaos, according to Javier Díaz-Giménez, a professor of economics at the IESE business school in Madrid. He suggests two of Spain’s direct neighbours as a hypothetical example.

“If Spain has a 20% tariff and Morocco and Andorra have a 10% tariff, all the Spanish products that can go through Morocco or Andorra… will do so.”

He adds: “They will be first exported to Morocco and Andorra and from there re-exported to the United States with a 10% tariff.

“And it’s going to be really hard to make sure that these olives came from Andorra proper and not from Spain. Is Trump going to do something about that?”

For now, Spanish producers and exporters must hold their breath as EU negotiations take place with Washington. For Mr Pico Lapuente, a big cause of concern is the influence – or as he sees it, lack of influence – his sector wields within the European trade bloc.

“The negotiations representing the EU’s 27 countries are carried out by Brussels,” he says. “In these negotiations, industrial products have a much bigger influence than food.

“I wouldn’t like it if, in this negotiation, food products like olive oil were used as mere bargaining chips in order to get a better deal for Europe’s industrial products. That worries me. And I hope it doesn’t happen.”

A spokesperson for the European Commission told the BBC that in negotiations with the US it will act “in defence of European interests, protecting its workers, consumers and its industries”.

Jaime Fernández, of the Grupo Osborne, believes his industry could live with the 10% tariff that is currently in place without suffering too much fallout.

However, a 20% charge, he says would cause the industry “to reconsider how to accelerate growth in some other markets, which would eventually lead to the relocation of resources from the US”.

He says his company is already looking at alternative markets in which to invest, such as China, or proven European ham consumers such as France, Italy and Portugal.

Mr Díaz-Giménez says that is the logical response to the current uncertainty.

“If I was the CEO of any company with a high exposure to the United States… I would have sent my entire sales team to find other markets,” he says.

“And by now, they would have found them. There would be plan Bs and plan Cs, to make sure that we have reduced this exposure to the US.”

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One of the first sights that greets arrivals to the centre of Serbia’s capital Belgrade are government buildings in an advance state of collapse. Nato planes bombed them back in 1999 – and they remain in much the same condition.

The message they deliver to visitors could be “welcome to Serbia, our recent history has been tumultuous and complicated – and we still haven’t quite finished processing it”.

Like a smile with a row of broken teeth, the Defence Ministry buildings are still standing. But they clearly took a serious hit when Nato intervened to stop Serbia’s then military campaign in Kosovo.

As a member of the Western military alliance, the US was implicated in the bombing.

Given that history, last year it came as something of a jolt for Serbians when the government struck a deal with a company called Affinity Global to redevelop the site into a $500m (£370m) luxury hotel and apartment tower complex.

Not just because the business concerned is American, but due to the fact its founder is Jared Kushner, best-known as Donald Trump’s son-in-law. And because the planned development is due to be called Trump Tower Belgrade.

While these has now been a major twist in the tale that puts the scheme in some doubt, the Serbian government’s decision to strike the deal wasn’t too surprising.

Before he became US president in 2016, Donald Trump himself expressed interest in building a hotel on the site.

The move also fits a government pattern – as alleged by the Serbian opposition – of allowing foreign investors to profit from public property.

They cite, as a prime example, the Belgrade Waterfront residential and retail project, constructed by Emirati developers on land owned by Serbia’s railways.

Where there used to be rusting rolling stock and derelict sidings, there is now a swish shopping centre, smart restaurants and the oddly bulbous, 42-storey Belgrade Tower. It is not to everyone’s taste.

That, however, was a brownfield site, rather than a city centre landmark. The Defence Ministry complex is an entirely different proposition – not least because it acts as a memorial to the casualties of the 1999 bombing campaign.

It is also a highly visual reminder of why the vast majority of Serbians remain opposed to Nato, and feel sympathetic towards Russia.

In that context, granting a US developer a 99-year lease on the site, reportedly for no upfront cost, is a bold move.

But Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, is unapologetic. “It’s important to overcome the burden from 1999,” he tells the BBC.

“We are ready to build better relations with the US – I think that is terribly important for this country.”

That view garners a degree of sympathy from Belgrade’s international business community.

Foreign direct investment inflows have more than tripled over the past decade. But GDP per capita remains low compared to EU member states. It stands at just one third of the bloc’s average.

To keep those figures moving in the right direction, attracting new investors is vital. And while the financial details of the Ministry of Defence development have not been revealed, the New York Times has reported that the Serbian government will get 22% of future profits.

“For a small and specific market – ex-Yugoslavia, outside the EU – all publicity is good publicity,” says James Thornley, a former senior partner at KPMG Serbia, who is now a partner at financial consultants KP Advisory in Belgrade.

“If you have major international players coming in, it’s a pull, it’s a draw. You’re getting the name and opportunity out there.”

Mr Thornley has lived in Serbia for 25 years and is fully aware of the sensitivities surrounding the Defence Ministry complex. But he believes that views would change once people saw the benefits of the development.

“That site is an eyesore and should be resolved,” he says. “Nothing’s happened for 26 years, let’s get it sorted out.”

But not everyone involved with international investment in Serbia is so enthusiastic.

Andrew Peirson was the managing director of global real estate giant CBRE in Southeast Europe, and now holds the same role at iO Partners, which focuses entirely on the region.

He admits that the shattered state of the Defence Ministry complex is “not good for the city’s image”, and that the deal to develop the site is “probably good news, because it shows the country can attract big investments”.

But he has serious qualms about how the government struck the deal with Affinity Global. Mr Peirson says that there was no open tendering process that would have allowed other firms to bid for the site.

“With state-owned land, you should be able to prove you’re getting market value for the site. The way you usually do that is to run a proper tender process,” says Mr Peirson.

“If it had been in UK, Germany, Hungary or even Romania or Bulgaria, there would have been a process; it would have gone through the open market. Developers that were looking to enter Serbia, or already active, would have been given the chance to buy it themselves.”

Back in 2023 Vucic said he met with Kushner and had an “excellent conversation” with Jared Kushner regarding the “potential for large and long-term investments.”

And Donald Trump Jr has since made follow up visits to Belgrade after Affinity Global announced that a Trump International Hotel would form part of the development. The role of Trump Jr and the family business is thought to be limited to the hotel.

Questions have been raised about the Trumps making commercial deals while Donald Trump is in the White House but his press secretary has rejected any suggestion he is profiting from the presidency.

Mr Peirson is concerned that the nature of the Ministry of Defence building deal may irk businesses which have already committed to Serbia.

“If I’m an investor already putting tens or hundreds of millions into the country, I would feel sad that I hadn’t been given the chance,” he says.

Both Affinity Global and the Serbian government did not respond to requests for comments about how the deal over the site was agreed, and whether or not there was an open tendering process.

Then there is the question of whether a commercial development should be taking place at all. The site, even in its current state, remains architecturally and historically significant.

The buildings were originally constructed to welcome visitors to the capital of Tito’s Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Architect Nikola Dobrovic created two structures on either side of Nemanjina Street which, viewed together, took the form of a gate.

The design also echoes the contours of Sutjeska Gorge, the site of the Yugoslav Partisans’ pivotal victory over Nazi forces in 1943. And in 2005, it was granted protected status under Serbia’s cultural heritage laws.

“No serious city builds a modern future by demolishing its historical centres and cultural monuments,” says Estela Radonjic Zivkov, the former deputy director of Serbia’s Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments.

“For Serbia to progress, it must first respect its own laws and cultural heritage,” she insists. “According to Serbian law, it is not possible to revoke the protection of this site.”

But just when it seemed the site’s fate was sealed, Serbian organised crime prosecutors delivered a twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller.

On 14 May, police arrested the official who had given the green light for the lifting of the Defence Ministry complex’s protected status.

Prosecutors said Goran Vasic, the acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, had admitted to fabricating an expert opinion which had been used to justify the change of status. He faces charges of abuse of office and forgery of official documents.

This admission has been seized on by those opposed to the project as evidence Kushner got preferential treatment. The Serbian government denies this.

Where this leaves the Affinity Global project – Trump International Hotel and all – is not entirely clear.

Repeated efforts to arrange an interview with the company have been unsuccessful, though it did issue a statement insisting that Mr Vasic had “no connection to our firm”, adding that it would “review this matter and determine next steps”.

Vucic, meanwhile, denies there is any problem with the development. During a meeting of European leaders in Tirana, he said “there was not any kind of forgery”.

Still, it seems the Defence Ministry’s shattered visage will remain unchanged for a while at least. And thanks to the Trump connection, it will offer even more of a talking point for first-time visitors to Belgrade.

The 131cm-high figurine was sold at the Yongle International Auction in Beijing.

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Asian bakeries are seeing success at home and abroad by bringing global flavours to traditional French pastries.

Jetstar Asia has struggled with rising supplier costs, high airport fees and increased competition.

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Eurostar has said it plans to launch direct train services from London to Germany and Switzerland.

A fleet of up to 50 new trains, costing around €2bn (£1.7bn), is planned to be up and running by the early 2030s, the firm announced.

Travel time between London and Frankfurt will be about five hours, and around five hours and 20 minutes to Geneva.

But there are questions over the expansion as the firm needs to make sure it has enough space for more trains at its depot in east London.

Eurostar’s boss said there was strong demand for train travel across Europe, despite the challenges of higher operational costs and inflation squeezing customer budgets.

“A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here,” said chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave, adding that customers were “wanting to go further by rail than ever before”.

The introduction of the new trains, which will replace some older ones, will lead to a 30% increase in trains that service London.

The firm is also planning for the proposed new fleet to service a direct line to Geneva from both Amsterdam and Brussels.

It said it was working with partners to get the new lines up and running.

It is not clear if the routes to Frankfurt and Geneva will include stops on the way for passengers to board or leave.

However, Eurostar’s proposals are not set in stone.

Its Temple Mills railway storehouse in east London is the only depot in the UK able to accommodate the larger trains used in continental Europe and which is already linked to the cross-Channel line.

All the infrastructure along the line, including Temple Mills, is owned by London St Pancras Highspeed, a government organisation previously known as HS1.

Currently, it used exclusively by Eurostar who operates the line on a long-term lease.

But there are several other firms that want to start operating services between London and mainland Europe. These include Spanish start-up Evolyn, Richard Branson’s Virgin and a partnership between Gemini Trains and Uber.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has told the BBC it was reviewing proposals from these firms to use Temple Mills, as well as Eurostar’s plans to increase services.

The regulator has already said the depot had enough space to either house an expanded Eurostar fleet or accommodate a rival company’s trains – but not both.

The ORR said it would make a decision on who gets to use the depot by the end of October, but the prospect of losing vital space at Temple Mills to its rivals could severely derail Eurostar’s plans to expand its services.

In this event, the firm has previously said it would “continue to encourage private investment in new depot facilities beyond Temple Mills, of which there are many options”.

Eurostar’s announcement came as the firm reported a 5% boost in passengers in 2024 compared with the previous year.

It saw a record 19.5 million passengers last year across all of its services.

The company also said it will increase the frequency of its most popular route between London and Paris.

Currently, Eurostar’s London trains go to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and during the ski season, the French Alps.

It also runs trains within France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Getlink, which owns the Channel Tunnel, signed an agreement in February with London St Pancras Highspeed to increase the number of services running to Europe.

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Mildands Rail Hub bosses say details are unclear but should be “celebrated”.

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UK companies are holding back on hiring or are not replacing workers who leave, sending job vacancies tumbling, official figures suggest.

The number of available jobs fell by 63,000 between March and May while the unemployment rate ticked higher.

“There continues to be a weakening in the labour market,” said Liz McKeown, director of econonic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), adding that there had been a noticeable drop in the number of people on payrolls.

In April, National Insurance Contributions paid by employers increased while a rise in the minimum wage came into force.

The estimated number of available jobs fell to 736,000 over the three months to May.

“Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on,” said Ms McKeown.

The figures also showed that the unemployement rate rose from 4.5% to 4.6% – the highest in almost four years and could rise higher, according to Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK.

“It is likely that businesses will look to offset some of the rise in employment costs through a combination of reducing headcount and slowing hiring activity,” she said.

“Given this, we expect the unemployment rate to edge higher over the coming year.”

The rise in average wages slowed to 5.2% between February and April, easing from a 5.6% increase.

However, it remains above the rate of inflation, which increased to 3.5% for the year to April.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the rise in National Insurance contributions by employers in last October’s Budget. The hike is forecast to raise £25bn in revenues by the end of the parliament.

Employment minister Alison McGovern said there were 500,000 more people in work since Labour won the election last July.

This is based on the number of people over the age of 16 in employment, which rose from 33.5 million between April and June last year to 34 million between February and April this year.

“People all over the country are benefiting from increased training opportunities,” said McGovern.

But Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said the rise in the unemployment rate was “disappointing but no surprise”, adding: “Businesses are still absorbing a £25bn jobs tax.”

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “The chancellor’s pig’s ear of a jobs tax is crushing the growth potential of our high streets and small businesses.”

She added: “These figures could not be a clearer signal to the chancellor, ahead of the Spending Review, that the government must change course.”

On Wednesday, Reeves will announce the Spending Review, which will allocate funding for everyday public services such as the NHS, education and policing as well as investment in infrastructure.

The NHS and defence are expected to be among the main beneficiaries in the review, leaving other departments with squeezed budgets.

While Capital Economics said the UK jobs market was “not collapsing”, its deputy chief UK economist Ruth Gregory said: “Most indicators show labour demand is clearly weakening.”

The number of people on payrolls fell by 55,000 between March and April and is forecast to drop a further 109,000 in May.

Although the ONS cautioned that this was an early estimate and could change when more data from HM Revenue & Customs becomes available.

The slowdown in average wage growth could pave the way for further interest rate cuts later this year.

Last week, Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, told MPs that evidence suggests that pay rates will continue to ease.

“That is going to be a crucial judgement going forwards,” he said, adding that the Bank would continue with a “gradual and careful” approach to reducing interest rates.

The Bank will hold its next rate-setting meeting on Thursday, 19 June though it is not expected to announce a reduction at that point.

The chancellor highlights “uncertainty” in the world as economists warn of tax rises if the economy fails to grow.

Council tax is expected to rise by 5% a year to pay for local services, documents in the Spending Review suggest.

Projects in the South West were not included in the chancellor’s spending review on Wednesday.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledges £39bn across 10 years for social and affordable housing in England.

After the government outlined its spending plans, people with a range of incomes give us their reaction.

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Marks and Spencer is beginning to take online orders again after it halted purchases through its website in April following a hugely damaging cyber attack.

The High Street chain said shoppers were now able to buy a selection of fashion items, such as clothing and footwear, for home delivery in England, Scotland and Wales.

It said beauty and homeware products would be available in the coming days, with delivery services to Northern Ireland and click and collect resuming “in the coming weeks”.

The return of online shopping marks a key milestone for the retailer, which has been struggling to get services back to normal since the cyber attack, which left some shelves empty and deliveries in limbo.

M&S was hit by a cyber attack over the Easter weekend, which initially affected its click and collect and contactless payments.

A few days later, the company suspended online orders, and recently warned services would continue to be disrupted until July.

On Tuesday, John Lyttle, managing director of fashion, home and beauty at M&S, said a selection of the retailer’s “best selling” fashion ranges would now be available online.

But M&S customer Andrew Ruddle contacted BBC Your Voice to say there was still “a very, very thin selection in menswear” and a lot of items he would like seemed to be out of stock.

“I checked in this morning and basically whatever size I want, whatever colour I want, is unavailable,” he said.

“From my experience, and I’ve only dabbled at the fringes, M&S has got a long way to go before they are anywhere near back to a normal service.”

Another customer, Gill Watkins in Milton Keynes, said she had received nothing from M&S to say online ordering was back up and running and only noticed by chance.

Gill told BBC Your Voice that she’d had some items in her basket for two to three weeks and was finally able to purchase some of them, but thinks delivery should have been free.

“I would have thought delivery charges would have been waived as an acknowledgment of the inconvenience this mess has caused customers,” she said.

The BBC has contacted M&S for comment.

M&S has estimated that the cyber attack will hit this year’s profits by around £300m – the equivalent to a third of its profit – and a sum that would only partly be covered by any insurance payout.

Some personal customer data was stolen by hackers during the attack, which the retailer has said could have included telephone numbers, home addresses and dates of birth.

The company has told customers that the data theft did not include useable payment or card details, or any account passwords.

The BBC learned earlier this week that the hackers sent an abuse-filled email directly to M&S’s boss on 23 April, gloating about what they had done and demanding payment.

The message to chief executive Stuart Machin, which was in broken English, was sent from the hacker group DragonForce using an employee email account.

DragonForce offers cyber-criminal affiliates various services on their darknet site in exchange for a 20% cut of any ransoms collected.

The email confirmed that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group – something that the retailer has so far refused to acknowledge.

Mr Machin has refused to disclose whether the company has paid a ransom to the hackers or not.

Online orders limited, some customer data stolen – here’s what we know about the chaos at M&S.

M&S plans to open a new food-only store to replace its existing full-line department store in Crewe.

The criminals told the retailer’s boss he could make things “fast and easy” if he complied with their demands.

Stuart Machin’s money is not affected by the IT disruption but it will be considered for next year’s pay.

Buildings that used to house two major stores have been cleared and are about to be demolished.

Copyright 2025 BBC. All rights reserved.  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

The prime minister has said he is “not writing a blank cheque” to pay for a new UK nuclear power plant, after the government announced it would commit £14.2bn to the project.

Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC the development of Sizewell C on the Suffolk coastline would create 10,000 jobs over the next decade, and provide energy security and independence for the country.

The government has announced the cash injection in a bid to kickstart investment in a new nuclear plant, but the Sizewell C project has faced opposition over its potential cost and environmental impact.

The PM said the plant would “bring down bills for millions of people across the country”.

However, it will take at least 10 years to complete the project with power beginning to be generated in the mid-2030s, according to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who identified Sizewell as a potential site for a new nuclear reactor in 2009 when Labour was last in government.

UK household bills have increased substantially in recent years, sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sending global gas and oil prices up over supply fears, especially across Europe.

Sir Keir said the government investment in Sizewell was “setting out a course for the future which means that we have control over our own energy” and would ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot put his boot on our throat” with energy prices.

Building a nuclear power station is a huge engineering and financial project. The UK currently has nine nuclear reactors in operation, but the plants are ageing and eight of them are due to close by the end of this decade. The newest nuclear reaction – Sizewell B – came into service some 30 years ago.

Last year, nuclear power provided about 14% of the UK’s electricity, which is significantly less than what was generated by wind (30%) and gas (26%).

But the government has insisted that generating more power from nuclear can cut household energy bills, create jobs, boost energy security so that the UK is less reliant on other countries, and also tackle climate change.

It will hope the backing of Sizewell C will lead to an influx of private investment, which is required for building work to get under way, and is part a wider effort to attract investment into the UK to boost economic growth.

The funding announced on Wednesday, which includes £2.7bn already pledged in the Autumn Budget, only covers five years of a decade-long project.

When this was put to Sir Keir, he said the government had been “absolutely clear” about what it wants to achieve.

“I want to invest in our future. China [and] France are doing this, and I want to be right up there with them.”

The government has said Sizewell C will generate enough power for some six million homes.

Its construction will see 10,000 jobs created, and once operational, it is expected to employ 900 people and be in service for 60 years.

However, Alison Downes, director of pressure group Stop Sizewell C, said ministers had not “come clean” about the project’s cost, because “negotiations with private investors are incomplete”.

David Grant, whose farm at Middleton will be cut in two by a new access road, called the funding “outrageous”.

“This is a project that has been promoted by a French company [EDF] that has never completed a nuclear project on time or on budget. And yet we’re pouring taxpayers’ money into this thing, it just beggars belief. As a businessman I don’t understand it.”

There have been several different funding announcements made about Sizewell C over many years by different governments.

The Department for Energy Security confirmed to the BBC that with Tuesday’s £14.2bn investment announcement, a total of £17.8bn of taxpayers’ money had been put towards the project to date.

A final decision on the funding model will be taken by the government later in the summer.

Sizewell C has previously said the project was expected to cost £20bn in total, but industry sources have estimated it could cost double that.

EDF, the state-owned French company which is building the new power plant, rejected the claims saying a £40bn figure was “not accurate”.

EDF is also building a new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, which it did accept would cost more than £40bn, compared to a 2022 estimate of £26bn.

Hinkley Point is expected to switch on in the early 2030s, which will be over a decade late and having cost billions more than originally planned.

Sizewell C is to sit immediately north of Sizewell B, which began generating electricity in 1995.

Sizewell A opened in 1967 but it stopped generating power in December 2006 and a lengthy decommissioning process is ongoing.

Despite Tuesday’s announcement of new government investment, work on Sizewell C started some time ago, with the main site being cleared and land being dug up for a new link road.

Chris Matthews, a trainee paramedic from nearby Leiston, said a new nuclear power plant would be a boost to the town.

“I’ve lived here 10 years, always in the shadow of two historical power plants so I don’t really see what difference a third is going to make,” the 36-year-old said.

“It’s going to be good for the town, for the local economy. There’s the negatives of the traffic, but actually that’s bearable when you can see the increased revenue and income coming into the town,” he added.

“Ultimately if we want this country to be independent and self-sustaining we need the resources and the electric to be in-house, so it needs to come from somewhere.”

But Jenny Kirtley, chair of Together Against Sizewell C, said the construction of it to date had been “dreadful”.

“The whole area is changing before our very eyes. I’ve been in tears many times looking at what has been going on around here.”

Trade unions welcomed the government’s investment, with GMB regional secretary Warren Kenny saying Sizewell C would provide “thousands of good, skilled, unionised jobs”.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union, added: “New nuclear is essential to achieving net zero, providing a baseload of clean and secure energy.”

Separately to the Sizewell C investment, the government announced Rolls-Royce had won a government contract worth £2.5bn to build three state of the art nuclear reactors.

As government investment is announced, what is Sizewell C and what will it mean for the area?

What do local colleges say about the prospects for locals of employment and training at Sizewell C?

Ros Atkins looks at the reasons behind the government’s investment in nuclear power, and how its plan fits into the UK’s energy mix.

The SNP will keep its effective ban on new nuclear plants through devolved planning powers, a minister says.

The chancellor calls it a “landmark decision” but critics say the cost of the project is still unclear.

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The Scottish government has stalled plans for a controversial holiday park at Loch Lomond.

Ministers had previously been set to give permission for the development, overturning the national park authority which said it did not comply with environmental and nature conservation policies.

Theme park operator Flamingo Land believed it would be given the go-ahead to build a £40m resort called Lomond Banks, featuring a waterpark, monorail, hotel and restaurants.

The Scottish government’s Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee, has now said he will recall the plans because “the development raises issues of national significance in view of its potential impact on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park”.

He said: “This means that the appeal should be determined at a national level.”

McKee has previously resisted calls for ministers to intervene in the decision to allow the plans to go forward.

The original proposal sparked protests and was initially rejected last September by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority, who said it did not comply with environmental and nature conservation policies.

But that was appealed to the Scottish government reporter, who last month said they intended to grant permission – subject to a legal agreement between Flamingo Land and the park.

Government reporters consider the vast majority of appeals, appointed by ministers to make a decision on their behalf.

However some of these are “recalled” by ministers who will then make the final decision themselves.

When the Scottish government reporter announced in May the intention to back the plans, development director for Lomond Banks Jim Paterson said it was a “real milestone moment” which had been “a long time in the making”.

But Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer, who has been a long-standing critic of the plan, said the development would cause “irreversible damage” and the decision was an “anti-democratic outrage”.

Following Ivan McKee’s ‘s latest announcement, Greer said it was “the right move”.

He added: “The evidence of the damage it would do to one of Scotland’s most iconic locations is overwhelming.

“Once ministers consider the flood risk, loss of ancient woodland, hundreds of additional cars which would be brought onto notoriously congested roads and the litany of other devastating impacts it would have, I am sure they will reject the mega-resort application and finally end this decade-long saga.”

The decision comes ahead of a vote in the Scottish Parliament on the issue, led by Scottish Labour.

The party’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie welcomed McKee’s decision to recall plan, saying: “It shouldn’t have taken the fear of a defeat in parliament to force them to reach this decision.

“The SNP has ignored concerns time and time again – from politicians across the chamber and from local campaigners.”

The Balloch and Haldane Community Council said there had been more than 50,000 new objections submitted to the plans in the last week.

The group said this was a “clear and powerful message from communities” that the development did not reflect the public’s wishes for the future of Loch Lomond.

They said: “The strength of feeling was also visible at the packed community meeting held on 30 May, where residents, campaigners, and local groups gathered in large numbers to voice their opposition to the proposed development and explore better alternatives for the iconic site.”

Flamingo Land first submitted plans for the site in 2018, but withdrew them the following year after a wave of negative reaction.

It submitted updated plans in 2020, insisting the proposal would be a “major step away” from its other resorts, including a theme park and zoo in Yorkshire.

But the Loch Lomond park authority board ruled that the updated scheme still conflicted with both regional and national environmental policies.

Stuart Pearce, “director of place” for the park authority, previously said the plans created “unacceptable risk” of flooding of the River Leven.

More than 174,000 people signed a petition against the project.

The Flamingo Land resort in North Yorkshire has been operating since 1959, initially as a zoo.

The name comes from a colony of the brightly coloured birds that were among the first animals on the site at Kirby Misperton.

By the 1970s, the zoo was losing money, and the attraction was revamped as a “day out” experience with a growing focus on amusement rides.

The Yorkshire site continues to have exotic animals, and there is also a large holiday village with static caravans and lodges.

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Singapore-based budget airline Jetstar Asia will close down at the end of July, with affected passengers to be offered full refunds.

The low-cost airline has struggled with rising supplier costs, high airport fees and increased competition in the region. More than 500 employees will be laid off.

The shutdown of Jetstar Asia will not impact the operations of Australia-based Jetstar Airways, nor those of Jetstar Japan, according to its part-owner Qantas.

The budget carrier will offer a progressively reduced service over the next seven weeks and travellers will be notified if their flight is affected. Passengers with tickets to fly after the 31 July closure will be contacted by the airline.

Some affected customers could be moved onto alternative flights operated by the Qantas Group. Jetstar Asia is advising people who booked through a travel agent or separate airline to contact those providers directly.

Sixteen routes across Asia will be impacted by the shutdown, including flights from Singapore to destinations in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The closure of Qantas’ low-cost arm will provide Australia’s national airline with A$500m ($325.9m; £241.4m) to invest towards renewing its fleet of aircraft. It will also redeploy 13 planes for routes across Australia and New Zealand.

“We have seen some of Jetstar Asia’s supplier costs increase by up to 200%, which has materially changed its cost base,” said Qantas Group Chief Executive Vanessa Hudson in a statement.

The discount airline, which has operated flights for over 20 years, is set to make a A$35m loss this financial year.

Fifty one per cent of the company is owned by Singapore firm Westbrook Investments, with the remainder held by Qantas.

Former customers have expressed their shock and sadness at its closure.

In a comment under Jetstar Asia’s Facebook post about the shutdown, one user said they were “very saddened to hear this news about a very warm, efficient, wonderful airline”.

Another thanked the airline for “opening up and popularising the budget travel market”.

All employees affected by Wednesday’s announcement will be provided with redundancy benefits.

“We have an exceptional team who provide world leading customer service and best in class operational performance and our focus is on supporting them through this process and helping them to find new roles in the industry,” said Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully.

Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, will continue to provide low-cost flights to Asia through its Jetstar Airways arm, which offers services from Australia to destinations in Thailand, Indonesia and Japan, among others.

Jetstar Asia was launched in 2004 as Qantas looked to gain a foothold in the growing low-cost air travel market in Asia, but has faced increased competition from other budget outlets including AirAsia and Scoot.

India can’t grow enough apples to meet demand but farmers are struggling to raise production.

Experts told the BBC that a flap issue, engine failure or a bird strike are among the possible causes of the crash.

South Africa’s players have the “belief” they can pull off a sensational victory in the World Test Championship final, according to batter David Bedingham.

Pat Cummins takes his 300th Test wicket before South Africa fight back with the ball to leave Australia on 144-8 in the second innings of the ICC Test Championship final at Lord’s – a lead of 218 heading into day three.

Australia suffer a dramatic second-innings batting collapse to leave the World Test Championship final hanging in the balance.

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