Government

Jersey’s markets watchdog has warned contractors to be “aware of their responsibilities” after research revealed a widespread belief that a lack of competition was pushing up the price of construction on the island. The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) said it would “pinpoint areas” requiring action in light of the…

A senior Labour MP has called for the government to be "fiercely vigilant" about who invests in UK infrastructure. Liam Byrne, a former Cabinet minister who now chairs the Business and Trade Committee, warned that "not every cheque is written with our interests in mind". The UK government has been…

The government has taken control of British Steel’s Scunthorpe operations but faces a race against time to keep its blast furnaces running. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told parliament during an emergency recall on Saturday (12 April) that the facility’s Chinese owner Jingye wanted to “refuse to purchase sufficient raw materials”…

Parliament is to be recalled tomorrow (Saturday 12) so MPs can vote on whether to nationalise British Steel. Last month, Jingye, the Chinese owner of the UK’s only remaining blast furnaces said they were consulting on plans that could see the Scunthorpe steelmaking facility, which it said loses £700,000 per…

Ministers have confirmed plans to allow hydrogen-powered plant on public roads. The government’s formal response to a consultation held last year on the issue said it had “decided to proceed” with the law change. It comes weeks after transport minister Lord Peter Hendy told Parliament the government would push ahead…

A joinery boss who falsely claimed a £30,000 Covid loan has been given a suspended prison sentence. Charles Ling, of North Road, Havering-atte-Bower, Romford, Essex, was sentenced to 15 months in custody, suspended for 18 months, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, for fraud related to the Covid support scheme, according to…

Network Rail chief executive Sir Andrew Haines has said he expects the second year of the body’s £45bn five-year funding cycle will go “more smoothly”. It comes after industry figures expressed dissatisfaction at the speed in which rail work was flowing through to suppliers. Earlier this year, a number of…

Wates has been given the job of repairing Parliament’s crumbling Victora Tower after the competitive tender process for the job failed for a second time. Construction News revealed in April 2024 that the tender for the then-£95m job had to be re-run after errors were made in documents used in the…

Government plans to address gaps in the construction products regime have been branded a “real disappointment” by one of the experts who led the independent review into the sector’s regulation. Former government chief construction adviser Paul Morrell warned that the measures contained in the construction products green paper would fail…

US construction goods could face tariffs in the UK as the government grapples with how to respond to Donald Trump’s 10 per cent import tax. It comes as share prices of some major construction firms dived on Friday (4 April). The Department for Business and Trade has released an indicative…