
UK engineer Senior sells aircraft parts business in £200m deal
The Rickmansworth-based manufacturing and engineering firm said had previously flagged the potential sale as it pursues a leaner structure.
It follows production issues at its key supplier Boeing and the enduring damage to its operations caused by the pandemic.
Aerostructures, Senior's largest division, builds the structural components of an aircraft's airframe, including the wings and flight control surfaces.
The FTSE 250 firm will receive an initial consideration of £150million and could bag an additional £50million in the first half of next year if the Aerostructures business meets certain performance targets in 2025.
Senior said the sale helps position the business 'as a market leading pure play fluid conveyance and thermal management business'.
Boss David Squires added: 'This sale aligns with the long-term interests of our shareholders, customers, employees and other stakeholders.
'Our remaining high quality fluid conveyance and thermal management business is well positioned to deliver attractive growth, improved margins, and better returns on capital with strong operating cash flow performance.
'With our global footprint and operating in attractive and structurally resilient end markets, Senior is well-placed to deliver sustained profitable growth and create enhanced value for our shareholders.'
Senior shares jumped 8.4 per cent to 204p approaching midday, aided by a £40million share buyback programme also announced on Friday.
The shares have added around 25 per cent since the start of 2025 and more than 250 per cent over the last five years.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


ITV News
8 minutes ago
- ITV News
Politics and protests: What to expect from Donald Trump's Scotland visit
Donald Trump will arrive in Scotland later on Friday, on his first visit to the UK since his re-election. The US president will be met by both political leaders and protests during the visit, which is expected to last five days, and will see him inaugurate a new golf course in Aberdeenshire. The trip comes two months before the King is due to welcome Trump for a formal state visit to the UK. The Trump administration continues to deal with turmoil on the home front, as the president struggles to salvage his reputation with voters amid reports around his friendship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. But Trump's visit to his ancestral home will hardly provide an escape from controversy. The visit has faced criticism from both political opponents and local residents, and will see a significant police operation across Scotland. Why is Trump visiting Scotland? Trump is expected to visit his Turnberry golf resort, as well as his course at Menie in Aberdeenshire. His trip also comes as a new golf course is about to debut on August 13, which the Trump family business has billed "the greatest 36 holes in golf." Trump is dedicating the new course to his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis. But Trump's existing Aberdeenshire course has been mired in controversy in recent years, after it struggled to turn a profit, and was found by Scottish conservation authorities to have partially destroyed nearby sand dunes. Trump's company was also ordered to cover the Scottish government's legal costs after the course unsuccessfully sued over the construction of a nearby wind farm, arguing in part that it damaged golfers' views. Critics also argue the trip - which is expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars - is a blatant example of Trump blending his presidential duties with promoting his family's business interests. The White House has brushed off questions about potential conflicts of interest, arguing that Trump's business success before he entered politics was key to his appeal with voters. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers called his visit "a working trip", but added that Trump has "built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport." Who will Trump meet during his visit? The president will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his stay, when the pair are expected to discuss the UK-US trade deal. Trump said the meeting would likely take place at one of his properties. He will also meet with Scottish First Minister John Swinney. The SNP leader previously said he would take the opportunity to raise various issues with the president, including tariffs, Gaza, and Ukraine. Speaking ahead of his arrival, Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides the opportunity to promote Scotland's tourism sector and economic investment potential, as well as to allow people to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice. "Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries," he said ahead of the visit. "The partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links - including, of course, with the president himself." The first minister said Scotland is a "proud democratic nation" that "stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world." Swinney has been vocally critical of the US president in the past, and openly endorsed Trump's political opponent Kamala Harris before last year's election - a move branded an "insult" by a spokesperson for Trump's Scottish businesses. John Swinney has argued that it is "in Scotland's interest" for him to meet the president, and for the visit to go ahead. But some Scots disagree, and a major police operation is being mounted during the visit in anticipation of protests. Thousands of officers are expected to be deployed by Police Scotland, who will deal with planned mass protests around Trump's golf courses and major Scottish cities. Trade unions, disability rights activists, climate justice campaigners, Palestinian and Ukrainian solidarity groups and American diaspora organisations are among those holding demonstrations in protest of the visit. The Stop Trump Scotland group has encouraged demonstrators to come to Aberdeen and 'show Trump exactly what we think of him in Scotland.' A spokesperson for the organisation said: "The people of Scotland don't want to roll out a welcome mat for Donald Trump, whose government is accelerating the spread of climate breakdown around the world." They also said that people in Scotland "simply wanted to live in peace near what is now [Trump's] vanity project golf course", and have "experienced Trump's abusive and high-handed behaviour first-hand, long before he entered the White House." Protests are planned in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dumfries. During Trump's visit to Scotland in 2018, similar gatherings drew thousands of protestors.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer to push Donald Trump on steel tariffs; British retail sales rise in June
Update: Date: 2025-07-25T06:38:15.000Z Title: British retail sales rise in June, official figures show Content: There is some positive news for the retail sector this morning, with official figures showing that monthly sales rose in June by 0.9%. It follows a fall of 2.8% in May. That was helped by warm weather, with supermarkets reporting better trading and an increase in drink purchases, the Office for National Statistics has said. The warm weather in June helped to brighten sales, with supermarket retailers reporting stronger trading and an increase in drink was also a good month for fuel sales as consumers ventured out and about in the sunshine. While growth is encouraging, the numbers are weaker than expected. A poll by Reuters showed that economists had been expecting a monthly rise of 1.2%. Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK and chair of ICAEW's Retail Group, warns that the sunny mood music may not last long. While the June figures are welcome news and consumer confidence ticked up last month, nervousness among consumers persists, and the unexpected rise in inflation won't have helped. The higher price of essentials such as food and fuel will only add to the reluctance among consumers to spend as their discretionary income shrinks. Concerns remain in the sector, as retailers increasingly run out of headroom to mitigate rising costs. Many will be hoping the government steps in to provide meaningful reductions in business rates, as well as raising the threshold at which employers' National Insurance becomes payable. It's also hoped that the reintroduction of tax-free shopping is brought back on the table, so the sector doesn't miss out further on valuable retail spend.' Update: Date: 2025-07-25T06:37:22.000Z Title: Introduction: Keir Starmer to push Donald Trump over steel tariff deal Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Donald Trump, who is due to arrive in Scotland on Friday for a five-day golf trip, is expected to meet with Keir Starmer early next week as the prime minister pushes to finalise their deal on steel trade tariffs. In May, the US agreed to lift tariffs on steel imports from the UK, which currently stand at 25%. However, there are concerns that the steel must be melted and poured in the UK, which could exclude Tata Steel UK as it closed its last blast furnace last year. It has been importing steel from its sister plants in India and the Netherlands, which it then processes in the UK. Starmer is expected to argue for building closer trade ties with the US, including cutting tariffs on Scotch whisky, according to a report by the Financial Times. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters this week: 'On Friday morning, President Trump will travel to Scotland for a working visit that will include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer to refine the historic US-UK trade deal.' The talks will come after Stamer sealed a tradel deal with India on Thursday. The agreement, which is the biggest struck by Britain since Brexit, will cut back the cost of India's tariffs for the UK and improve exports of products such as Scotch whisky and cars. Starmer told Bloomberg News that his government had 're-established the place and position of the UK on the world stage.' 'We're seen as a country which other countries want to be working with and delivering with.' 7.00am BST: ONS retail sales data 7.00am BST: NatWest Q2 results 11.00am BST: NatWest AGM


The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia and UK sign 50-year defence treaty despite US wavering on Aukus submarine deal
Australia and the UK will sign a 50-year treaty to cement the Aukus submarine pact, even as the major partner in the Aukus agreement, the US, wavers on the deal. The new treaty will be announced by foreign minister Penny Wong and defence minister Richard Marles — alongside British foreign and defence secretaries David Lammy and John Healey — in the wake of the annual Aukmin talks in Sydney today. The US is not a party to the new treaty, which will be signed on Saturday. While negotiations over the Australia-UK defence treaty were flagged before US President Donald Trump took power, the document's inking re-affirms UK and Australia ties in the face of American tariffs and the Pentagon's yet-to-be-completed Aukus review. While the details of the treaty have not yet been announced, it is expected to cover a wide breadth of cooperation between the UK and Australia in developing the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine — the first of which will be built in the UK, before manufacturing begins in Adelaide. 'The UK-Australia relationship is like no other, and in our increasingly volatile and dangerous world, our anchoring friendship has real impact in the protection of global peace and prosperity,' the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said. The bilateral treaty will facilitate greater economic co-operation between the two nations by improving both countries' industrial capacity. As part of the existing defence agreement, Australia will pay about $4.6bn to support British industry to design and produce nuclear reactors to power the future Aukus-class submarines. In a joint statement, Marles and Wong said the Australia-UK ministerial talks were critical to the nations' shared interests. 'We take the world as it is – but together, we are working to shape it for the better,' Wong said. Under the $368bn Aukus program, Australia is scheduled to buy at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US from the early 2030s. The new Aukus-class nuclear submarines will be built first in the UK: Australia's first Aukus boat, to be built in Adelaide, is expected to be in the water in the early 2040s. But the planned sale of US-built boats has been thrown into doubt by the Trump administration launching a review into the deal to examine whether it aligns with his 'America first' agenda. The review is being headed by the Pentagon's undersecretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby, who has previously declared himself 'sceptical' about the deal, fearing it could leave US sailors exposed and under-resourced. The Aukus agreement mandates that before any submarine can be sold to Australia, the US commander-in-chief – the president of the day – must certify that America relinquishing a submarine will not diminish the US navy's undersea capability. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The US's submarine fleet numbers are a quarter below their target and the country is producing boats at half the rate it needs to service its own needs, US government figures show. Defence analysts believe the US is likely to re-commit to Aukus, but have speculated the review could demand further financial contributions – or political commitments such as avowed support for the US in a conflict with China over Taiwan – from Australia in exchange for the sale of nuclear submarines and transfer of nuclear technology. The UK's carrier strike group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, arrived in Darwin on Wednesday during Talisman Sabre multi-nation military exercises hosted by Australia. It's the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997. The international task group includes five core ships, 24 jets and 17 helicopters, centred on the flagship aircraft carrier. Marles and Wong will on Sunday join their UK counterparts in Darwin to observe the group in action. UK High Commissioner to Australia, Sarah MacIntosh, said the strike group's arrival was a demonstration of commitment to the region and the strong relationship with Canberra. 'This is an anchor relationship in a contested world,' she said.