Press Digest: British Business - April 17
17/04/2026 03:30
April 17 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. The Times - The Bank of England was "not going to rush to judgements" on interest rate rises, Governor Andrew Bailey told BBC News, as global central banks contend with an energy price shock driven by the Iran war. - The British economy grew faster than expected in the month before the Iran war started, data from ONS showed; GDP increased by 0.5 % in February, ahead of the 0.1 % expected by economists. The Guardian - Fatih Birol, director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said that Europe has only six weeks of jet fuel left before shortages and flight cancellations hit because of the Iran war. - Britain's top foreign ministry official, Olly Robbins will leave his post after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him following a row over the security vetting of Peter Mandelson. The Telegraph - British finance minister Rachel Reeves said Britain will step up North Sea drilling to combat the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war. - Aston Martin AML.L is suing China's Geely Holding Group in the UK, in an attempt to block it from using a wings logo similar to the luxury carmaker. Sky News - The British government has set up a 500 million pound ($675.70 million) Sovereign AI fund to help British AI companies grow without having to leave. - British prime minister Keir Starmer is heading to Paris on Friday and will co-host with the French president a virtual meeting of the UK-assembled coalition working on plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with 40 leaders set to join the meetings. The Independent -Hays HAYS.L has cut its worldwide consultancy staff by 14% by the end of March, with a 7% cut to its non-consultancy employee base. The recruiter is aiming to save 45 million pounds a year in costs by 2028-29. ($1 = 0.7400 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom) ((globalnewsmonitoring@thomsonreuters.com))