UK launches £500m Sovereign AI fund as Kendall backs ‘British winners’ April 16, 2026 The UK government has unveiled a £500m push to scale domestic AI firms, as ministers step up efforts to anchor the next wave of tech firms on home soil amid growing competition. Tech secretary Liz Kendall is set to launch the new Sovereign AI Unit in London on Thursday, casting it as a central pillar [...]
Reeves says diplomacy is ‘best economy policy’ as UK tax burden to mount April 15, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that de-escalating the war in the Middle East is the “best economic policy” to protect growth as the International Monetary Fund showed the UK tax burden was set to deepen at a faster pace than any country. Speaking at a CNBC event in Washington, Reeves doubled down on her attacks [...]
London Lions CEO: We’d love to be in NBA Europe but we have a reason to exist anyway April 15, 2026 London Lions CEO Lenz Balan on the club’s NBA Europe ambitions and the challenges of making British basketball financially sustainable. “I’m, like, an irrational optimist,” says London Lions CEO Lenz Balan as he explains why he views the impending arrival of an NBA Europe team on his patch as an opportunity, not a threat. The [...]
Standard Life’s Briggs warns ‘retirement adequacy is a genuine concern’, as £2bn Aegon deal unveiled April 15, 2026 The boss of one of the UK’s largest pension providers has spoken out on the state of the nation’s retirement financing on the day he unveiled a blockbuster industry takeover. Andy Briggs, chief executive of Standard Life, told Morning Wire that “retirement adequacy is a genuine concern” and pointed to further potential dealmaking. He noted [...]
Wayve lands AMD, Arm and Qualcomm cash as UK self-driving push gathers pace April 15, 2026 British autonomous driving firm Wayve has secured a further $60m (£44.2m) from chip giants AMD, Arm and Qualcomm Ventures, as it pushes to get its AI driving software into production vehicles. The fresh backing adds more heavyweight silicon names to Wayve’s investor roster and comes just weeks after the London-based company raised $1.2bn at a [...]
Wall Street banks’ $40bn haul overshadowed by economic threats April 15, 2026 Wall Street’s top banks are toasting a record revenue haul this week, but industry chiefs also struck a note of caution after bumper profits were driven by market volatility. JP Morgan led the pack with a net income of $16.5bn in the first-quarter of the year, up 13 per cent from the same period in [...]
BBC to cut 2,000 jobs ahead of Matt Brittin takeover April 15, 2026 The BBC is set to cut up to 2,000 jobs in its largest round of redundancies in 15 years, as the broadcaster accelerates cost-cutting plans ahead of a leadership change next month. Staff were briefed on the proposals at a company-wide meeting on Wednesday, with the cuts expected to affect roughly 10 per cent of [...]
Russell set to join Pollock after London meetings with Matchroom April 15, 2026 Scotland rugby star Finn Russell has held talks with Matchroom about following England’s Henry Pollock in signing for the multi-sport promoters’ new talent agency. Northampton Saints back-row Pollock joined the Eddie Hearn-run talent roster after the promoter made comments about the untapped potential of rugby during the Six Nations. In subsequent interviews, Hearn – whose [...]
Britain’s energy future is bright – but we still need Ed Drilliband April 15, 2026 Amid soaring oil prices and growing fears of jet fuel shortages, it feels as though Britain is trapped in an energy permacrisis of its own making. So here’s a note of optimism to counter the doom and gloom: Britain has a bright energy future ahead of it. A few examples: Nuclear power output is going [...]
‘I will not yield’: Starmer dismisses Trump’s trade threat as ‘pressure’ April 15, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed President Donald Trump’s threat to change a trade deal struck between the US and the UK as “pressure”. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey used a question in parliament to say Trump had treated the UK “like a mafia boss running a protection racket” after he threatened to change a [...]