Aldi snaps up abandoned London psychiatric hospital to turn it into supermarket April 15, 2026 Aldi has snapped up an abandoned London psychiatric hospital, Morning Wire can reveal, in the latest sign discount supermarkets are getting increasingly creative in their search to acquire land to expand their UK footprint. The German grocer, which has over 1,000 stores in the UK but hopes to increase this by as many as 500, [...]
Why Nationwide’s £7m boss was worth splashing the cash for April 15, 2026 Nationwide splashed the cash on it’s top boss, Debbie Crosbie, in this week’s column Samuel Norman asks if they got their monies worth. Nationwide has been proclaimed Britain’s best bank. The UK’s largest building society – which is, in fact, not a bank due its status as a mutual – has been handed the crown [...]
Help to buy scheme had ‘limited impact on social mobility’ April 15, 2026 Previous help-to-buy schemes did little to improve social mobility and mainly benefited high earners, the government has been warned, as it mulls reviving the programme. Help-to-buy, which offered equity loans to first-time buyers, had a “limited impact on social mobility,” the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said. The government is reportedly considering revising help-to-buy, [...]
Tory councillors pledge to ban smartphones in classrooms ahead of local elections April 14, 2026 Conservative council candidates at next month’s local elections have vowed to enforce a ban on students using smartphones in a new policy that could test Labour’s grip over education across the country. The Tories have doubled down on their calls for a national ban on smartphones in classrooms by getting local council candidates on board [...]
PwC moves to unify global services as AI reshapes consulting sector April 14, 2026 Big Four firm PwC is drawing up a blueprint to standardise its consultancy services across its global business, as the sector faces mounting pressure from the rapid rise of AI. As businesses continue to invest in AI, the cracks in what this will mean for broader businesses are starting to show, with layoffs being blamed [...]
Quantum and AI drive UK startup funding to $7.8bn in 2026 April 14, 2026 UK startup funding jumped to $7.8bn (£6.2bn) in the first quarter of 2026, as a surge in quantum computing investment and mega-rounds powered the strongest start to a year since 2022. New data from HSBC Innovation Banking and Dealroom shows venture capital investment rose 60 per cent year on year, pointing to renewed confidence in [...]
Morgan Stanley and Goldman Space X IPO plan to curb post-float selloff April 14, 2026 The Wall Street banks elected to work on Space X’s anticipated listing are drawing up plans to curb a post-IPO slump that could have detrimental effects to its valuation. Advisers on the deal are exploring whether insiders and early investors could be allowed to sell shares before the standard 180-day lock up has passed, according [...]
IMF: Middle East war risks sparking government debt doom loop April 14, 2026 Ballooning levels of government debt have left the global economy dangerously exposed to the aftereffects of the Middle East war, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which warned a fresh wave of inflation could trigger a historic bond crisis. In its latest Financial Stability Report, the financial body said that countries’ inability to rein [...]
New EU entry system hits Brits — But what are your rights? April 14, 2026 Days into the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), British passengers are facing severe delays, resulting in missed flights, but with the Summer season around the corner, warnings that trying to pass the border may become more costly. The new EES obliges non-European Union nationals, including Britons, who enter the Schengen free travel zone to [...]
IMF slaps UK with biggest growth downgrade of any G7 country April 14, 2026 The UK economy has suffered the biggest growth forecast downgrade of any country in the G7 in the International Monetary Fund’s spring economic outlook report, dealing a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she struggles to overcome setbacks sparked by the Iran war. Growth this year was revised down by 0.5 percentage points as trade [...]