Wake Up to Money

The "negative" narrative around savers investing money in stocks and shares must change. That's according to Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Sean Farrington reacts to her Mansion House speech. We also establish why Thames Water is "extremely stressed". And more on what impact the Government's new EV grant scheme will have on charging points.

Is a £3,750 government incentive enough for you to switch to an electric car? Sean Farrington delves into the world of EVs. We also revisit the power of AI - this time a British developer has created a tool that can mimic regional accents. And with Oasis back in their hometown of Manchester we hear from some of the local businesses cashing in on their return.

Up to 800,000 customers at Betfair and Paddy Power and other companies suffer from a major data breach at parent firm Flutter that exposed personal details and account activity.

London’s Heathrow says it wants to hike the fees that it charges airlines to use the airport by around 17%. The airlines respond by saying the proposal is unjustified. Virgin Atlantic says it “demonstrates Heathrow’s inability to invest capital wisely and efficiently”. Also, Felicity Hannah looks at a content-sharing deal between ITV and Disney. And Oasis return to their home city. We join the fans in Manchester ahead of their money-making comeback gig.

Felicity Hannah looks at the jobs market and wage growth, as well as the future of high speed rail in the North of England. Plus, Shell plans to move its HQ to the UK. And, what financial pressures is the NHS under at the moment?

The government is due to decide very soon whether to adopt “zonal pricing” – i.e. whether people should pay different amounts for their energy depending on whereabouts in the country they live. All indications are that Downing Street will reject the idea but it’s yet to be confirmed. Will Bain looks at the pros and cons of zonal pricing. Also, Elon Musk is left looking for a new CEO for his social media platform X as Linda Yaccarino resigns. And chipmaker Nvidia becomes the first company ever to notch up a $4 trillion stock market valuation.

Sean takes a look at the rise of the use in technology in sport. From automated line-calling, VAR & AI data analytics - we ask how tech is shaping the future of sport.

President Donald Trump has vowed tariffs of 50% on imports of copper into the US. The announcement sent prices for the metal soaring. It’s the president’s latest salvo in a tariff war which has hit companies in all sorts of sectors. Sean Farrington hears from the co-founder of a company that makes electric toothbrushes in China and sends them to the US. We also hear from a bicycle manufacturer that exports from Indonesia and Vietnam to the US. Elsewhere, we’re at the Great Yorkshire Show to talk to farmers about inheritance tax.

US President Donald Trump says countries will now have until August 1 to agree new trade deals with the White House. He’d initially set a deadline of July 9 – this Wednesday – but has pushed it back by three weeks. All the same, he’s doubled down on a threat to hit two of the US’s biggest trading partners - Japan and South Korea – with tariffs of 25% unless they reach a deal by the new date. Sean Farrington speaks to a senior US economist about this latest twist in the tariffs story. We also look at a proposal to impose a wealth tax in the UK. Would it work?

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he expects a busy 72 hours as countries try to make trade agreements with the US before the Wednesday deadline. Sean Farrington speaks to one expert representing international busines.The UK government wants bereavement leave for pregnancy losses to be set in law - what benefit could that be for both employers and employees?And would you work harder for your company if you could benefit from dividends? We look at the rise in businesses doing just that.