Building Safety Regulator delays ‘unacceptable’, say peers December 11, 2025 A cross-party House of Lords committee has blasted the government for leaving residents trapped in unsafe buildings and increasing costs for leaseholders due to regulatory delays. The Industry and Regulators Committee’s report, The Building Safety Regulator: Building a better regulator, warned that the delays mean the government is in danger of missing its target to [...]
Momentum 25 and the reality of Saudi Arabia’s mega-projects December 11, 2025 The ‘Momentum 25’ conference is taking place in Riyadh this week, at a definitive juncture for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The midpoint of the Vision 2030 timeline, launched in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to diversify the nation’s economy away from hydrocarbon dependence. For nearly a decade, the global business community has [...]
Whisky Business: A New Zealand brand blazing a trail December 11, 2025 Whisky Business: Morning Wire’s monthly look at the world of whisky. If you’re looking for exciting ‘new world’ whiskies, New Zealand is a good place to start. In many respects, the country’s whisky industry is still in its infancy, but it’s carving out a niche in the market by leaning into New Zealand’s strengths. The country’s [...]
Labour rail pledge in doubt after £3bn private contract to run London Overground December 11, 2025 London Mayor Said Khan has caused a row within the Labour party after First Group was awarded a £3bn deal to operate the London Overground, a move which seemingly flies in the face of Labour’s manifesto commitment to bring railways back into public ownership. On Tuesday the London-listed transport group revealed that it would begin [...]
Will the land of the free take a dim view of my social media posts? December 11, 2025 Earlier this year one of our journalists booked a holiday to India, and I had to provide him with a letter confirming that he was travelling in a personal capacity and wouldn’t be doing anything as nefarious as journalism while in the country. Days later another of our reporters decided to follow suit, and I [...]
Brits may have to hand over social media profiles to visit US December 10, 2025 US officials will vet the social media activity of Brits travelling into the US as President Trump increasingly turns his fire on a “decaying” and “weak” Europe. Those planning to visit on short term Esta visas would have to give personal details of family members, including dates and places of birth, and phone numbers used [...]
Salah offered Liverpool escape route as Saudi Pro League chief talks up interest December 10, 2025 The Saudi Pro League would welcome Mohamed Salah if his bust-up with Liverpool results in him leaving Anfield, the competition’s chief executive has said. Salah was dropped from the Reds’ squad for their Champions League fixture with Inter Milan this week after his bombshell claim that the club had “thrown him under the bus”. “Mohamed [...]
Leon to close sites and cut jobs as it enters administration December 10, 2025 Fast-food chain Leon is set to enter administration, close a number of locations and cut jobs as part of a bid by its new owner to turn around the struggling chain. The company was bought back by co-founder John Vincent last month from Asda in a deal reported to be between £30m and £50m, well [...]
WTA and Mercedes-Benz pen decade-long deal said to be worth $500m December 10, 2025 The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) has penned a decade-long partnership agreement with Mercedes-Benz believed to be worth as much as $500m (£376m). The deal, announced at the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart with WTA co-founder Billie Jean King and 20-time grand slam winner Roger Federer in attendance, will see the automotive behemoth become a “premier partner” [...]
ITV to show England’s 2026 World Cup opener, BBC bets on knockout rounds December 10, 2025 ITV will show England’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Croatia after it and the BBC confirmed their allocations for the tournament. All 104 matches will be broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK, with the BBC and ITV sharing the fixtures and both showing the final on 19 July. While ITV has [...]