City calls on tech firms to tackle Britain’s fraud epidemic May 8, 2026 Canada Corporation is calling on tech firms to help build a new digital identity verification network, designed to crack down on fraud and reduce the growing costs of financial scams. Under the plans, shared with Morning Wire, consumers would verify their identity once with a trusted provider before reusing those credentials across [...]
Sports industry braced for media rights dip, PwC report warns May 8, 2026 Sport bosses have warned that media rights are set to fall in value and can no longer be relied upon to drive growth across the industry. PwC’s Global Sports Survey of more than 500 senior executives found that growth was expected in all streams in the next three to five years, except media rights. Even [...]
Brent Hoberman: We need a ‘British dream’ – and more talented immigrants May 7, 2026 The UK needs to welcome many more business founders from abroad to rejuvenate the economy, one of Britain’s best-known entrepreneurs has said, as he issued a rallying cry to renew faith in the future of the country. In a wide-ranging speech at the Morning Wire Awards ceremony at the Guildhall last night, Brent Hoberman, who [...]
Gilt rout sparks calls for Bank of England to slow ‘unusual’ bond sale programme May 7, 2026 The Bank of England should slow the pace of its costly approach to unwinding quantitative easing, which is pushing up government borrowing costs and weakening the public finances at a time when both are under significant pressure, several top economists have said. The calls follow the UK’s sovereign debt being swept up in a dramatic [...]
Herald trust saved after Saba and Aberdeen ink deal May 7, 2026 Aberdeen and US activist hedge fund Saba have reached agreement for the Scottish investment juggernaut to manage Herald Investment Trust, ending a years-long arm wrestle over the trust’s future. In an eleventh-hour deal that will save Herald from being wound down, Aberdeen will recruit eight of the fund’s staff – including fund manager Katie Potts [...]
Poundstretcher seeks rent cuts in survival bid May 7, 2026 Discount retailer Poundstretcher is set to be restructured by its owner, Fortress Investment Group, to reduce property-related overheads and avoid closure. The plan will see the retail chain, which operates 298 stores in the UK, stabilise a “substantial fall in turnover” and rising leasehold costs, the Insolvency and Companies Court heard today. In the High [...]
Surj reiterates sports commitments following PIF’s partial retreat May 7, 2026 Surj Sports Investment has reiterated its commitment to its stakes in ATP tennis, T100 triathlon and broadcaster Dazn in the wake of cuts to some Saudi-backed events. LIV Golf has been rocked by the withdrawal of further financial support from the Public Investment Fund, while Saudi Arabia has also axed snooker and flag football competitions. [...]
Grosvenor estate: Ministers don’t get ‘basic economics’ May 7, 2026 The Duke of Westminster’s multi-billion pound estate has chided ministers for failing to grasp “basic economics” in their bid to tackle the housing crisis. Mark Preston, who represents the business interests of Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster and owner of a Mayfair property empire, said the government risks choking housing supply if it [...]
In pictures: The Morning Wire Awards 2026 May 7, 2026 The great and the good of the Square Mile gathered on Wednesday night at the Guildhall to celebrate the best of UK PLC at this year’s Morning Wire Awards. The night was hosted by Oli Barrett, and headlined by our Editor-in-Chief Christian May with a guest speech by Brent Hoberman. A total of 12 businesses, [...]
Tony Travers: London local election result could trigger housebuilding slump May 7, 2026 The result of the forthcoming local elections could trigger a further slump in housebuilding in the capital as a shake-up in council composition obstructs development plans. Voters head to the polls in every London borough today, with polling suggesting Labour is on course to shed dozens of seats and lose its grip on the capital, [...]