Consumer confidence suffers biggest drop in four years amid Iran inflation fears April 20, 2026 Consumer confidence fell at the fastest rate in four years as Brits tightened their purse strings amid fears the Iran war will spike inflation. Brits’ confidence in their spending power fell by three per cent at the start of this year, as it reached its lowest level since 2023 and made the biggest drop since [...]
London house prices jump by £3k as market slows April 20, 2026 The average asking price of a home in Britain rose by nearly £3,000 in April, but London’s property market is showing clear signs of strain as higher mortgage rates and a surge in supply curb momentum. New figures from Rightmove show asking prices increased by 0.8 per cent month on month to £373,971, a £2,929 [...]
UK bets on East London hub to anchor next phase of innovation April 19, 2026 The UK’s push to build a more joined-up innovation economy is increasingly being anchored in east London, where Here East has turned into one of the country’s largest multi-sector tech campuses. Set within the former Olympic press and broadcast centre in Stratford, the 1.2m sq ft site aims to bring various universities, startups, corporates and [...]
Starmer would have blocked Mandelson ambassador role, says Lammy April 19, 2026 Keir Starmer would have stopped Lord Mandelson becoming UK ambassador to the US if he had known about security concerns, deputy prime minister David Lammy has said, as the political fallout intensifies. Speaking to the Guardian, Lammy said the prime minister would “never, ever” have approved the appointment had he been aware Mandelson failed the [...]
Iran warns Strait of Hormuz will stay restricted as ceasefire deadline looms April 19, 2026 Iran has warned it will keep restricting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, raising the risk of renewed disruption to global oil supplies just days before its ceasefire with the US is due to expire. The warning came after Donald Trump said the blockade on Iranian ports would “remain in full force”, until a wider [...]
Enhanced Games, Lance Armstrong and the truth about why we hate doping April 19, 2026 There is an irony in the fact that sponsors and broadcasters won’t touch the Enhanced Games, explains Matt Readman. Last month it was announced that the 2026 Winter Olympic Games was the first Olympiad in 28 years to have zero failed drugs tests. The “cleanest Games for a generation” is a big moment for an [...]
Sainsbury’s threatens to crack down on shoplifters caught swapping eggs April 18, 2026 UK supermarket giants Sainsbury’s has threatened shoplifters with police action if they are caught swapping premium eggs into cheaper boxes. Sainsbury’s has placed signs in stores telling customers that egg swapping is “regarded as theft”, claiming that any footage of shoplifting would be shared with police. In a picture posted on social media by retail [...]
‘Thrown under the bus’: Robbins to defend himself over Mandelson vetting April 18, 2026 Sir Olly Robbins is set to mount a defence of his decision to approve Mandelson’s appointment to Washington after allies accused Starmer of scapegoating him and throwing him “under the bus”. The prime minister sacked the head of the Foreign Office on Thursday night before accusing him of an “unforgivable” failure to warn him that [...]
Tankers report being fired upon as Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz again April 18, 2026 Merchant vessels have said they were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz, the first indication that Iran’s re-closure of the waterway has been enforced. Iran’s military reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz again after accusing the US of violating the deal to reopen it, throwing the world’s energy [...]
‘Concerned but not surprised’: Three-quarters of UK landlords and sole traders miss digital tax launch April 18, 2026 Only a quarter of sole traders and landlord who need to sign up for the UK’s new digital tax system have done so, despite the scheme already having come into effect this month. From 6 April, anyone who earned more than £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year from property or self-employment income was required to [...]