Britain’s data centres are eating the grid – and we underestimated the damage May 14, 2026 UK data centre emissions forecasts have been revised upward 100-fold. London’s server farms already consume more power than all its households combined. So why did it take this long to do the maths? Data centres are consuming six per cent of all UK electricity, while government emissions forecasts have been revised upward by a factor [...]
Time to Aim higher: ‘No visible effect’ of flagship pensions overhaul a year on, industry chief warns May 14, 2026 Britain’s embattled small-cap companies have not yet felt any positive impact from the Mansion House Accord, the boss of an influential industry body has warned, a year on from the UK’s largest pension providers agreeing to plough more cash into unlisted and private assets. In a letter sent to all 17 of the pact’s signatories, [...]
King’s Speech: Ministers ban North Sea oil and gas exploration May 14, 2026 The government will make it illegal to grant new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, the King said at the state opening of Parliament, in a sign ministers are refusing to buckle in the face of a barrage of criticism that the policy is depriving the UK of billions of pounds in tax [...]
Mark Kleinman: Could Wells Fargo bank on a megadeal with Barclays? May 14, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his Morning Wire column Could Wells Fargo bank on a mega-deal with Barclays? Now this really would liven up London’s M&A market. Since the turn of the year, the City rumour mill has persistently buzzed with talk of the biggest deal [...]
The King’s Speech was overshadowed by the Westminster clown show May 14, 2026 Put the current political chaos from your mind for a moment and imagine that Keir Starmer wasn’t under threat. Imagine a version of the Prime Minister – still unpopular and still struggling to engineer economic growth – but at least with the full backing of his cabinet and MPs. Under such circumstances, yesterday’s King’s Speech [...]
UK businesses eyeing shift to ‘more predictable’ tax regimes May 14, 2026 UK businesses are considering relocating abroad for a more stable tax and regulatory landscape, according to new research from consulting and network Baker Tilly International. The group, in its annual mid-market survey conducted earlier this year, found that out of all nine markets and 1,500 business leaders surveyed, including in the US, China, and India, [...]
Deliveroo takes on the high street in grocery push May 14, 2026 Deliveroo customers will soon be able to shop from multiple shops in a single order and add restaurant items after checkout, Morning Wire can reveal, as the Doordash-owned giant attempts to elbow in on the high street. The takeaway giant’s first new feature, called Bundles, allows users to order from up to three supermarket or [...]
Housing market ‘still in grip’ of Iran war slump May 14, 2026 The UK housing market is “still in the grip” of an Iran war slump as higher mortgage rates and inflation fears weigh on buyer and seller demand. Brits are still holding back on buying homes as average house prices slip further, a market survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has revealed. The [...]
Labour ‘failing’ renters: Brits work for 133 days to pay landlords May 14, 2026 Today’s the day when Brits will finally stop working just to pay their landlords and start earning money for their own pockets, with 14 May the point in the year when the average tenant has brought in enough income to pay for a year’s accommodation. Known as the “cost of rent day”, it now arrives [...]
Fractile lands $220m as ministers hail ‘vote of confidence’ in UK AI May 13, 2026 British AI chip startup Fractile has raised $220m (£165m) in fresh funding with the government pointing to the deal as evidence the UK can produce globally competitive AI infrastructure companies. The London-founded company, which is developing next-generation chips designed to speed up AI inference – the by which AI models generate responses – said the [...]