Lack of trust in AI tempers Starmer’s tech push February 24, 2026 Britain’s AI sector has entered the year with continued momentum, with its leading heavyweights raising over £20bn in private capital over the past year. According to Startup Coalition’s latest AI index, British AI firms command a combined valuation north of £45bn. Business services accounted for roughly 400 AI startups, attracting £8.3bn, while financial services and [...]
UK unemployment will surpass pandemic high, says JP Morgan February 24, 2026 UK unemployment will brush past its peak in the Covid-19 pandemic, Wall Street’s biggest bank has predicted, as employer’s still feel the brunt of Rachel Reeves’ cash grabs. The rate of unemployed Brits is tipped to reach 5.5 per cent by the late spring, according to a forecast by JP Morgan, which would mark an [...]
UK firms ‘misallocate £10bn’ on HR departments, report says February 23, 2026 The UK’s human resources sector is twice the size of the EU’s and has led to firms misallocating as much as £10bn in capital, new research has suggested. A paper on the cost of diversity and equality agendas on businesses has argued that HR departments have grown at a disproportionate rate, with the UK having [...]
Reform vow to create new ‘wealth fund’ using pension schemes February 23, 2026 Reform UK has pledged to create a new “British Sovereign Wealth Fund” using local government pension schemes as part of Richard Tice’s first policy package as the party’s spokesman for business, trade and energy. Reform has vowed to wrap various arms of government, including housing and energy, into one office that focuses on growth, job [...]
Police arrest Lord Mandelson February 23, 2026 Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, weeks after the police launched an investigation into the former Labour peer over his relations with Jeffrey Epstein. The Met police said in a statement they had arrested a 72-year-old man in Camden. Mandelson was pictured being taken out of his house. A [...]
WFH requests could go to tribunal under Labour’s employment reforms February 23, 2026 Lawyers are warning that Labour’s plans to make flexible working the default could place additional legal and administrative burdens on British businesses. Under the proposed changes employees would be able to appeal an employer’s decision to refuse a flexible working request more easily through the Employment Tribunal. Lawyers at TWM Solicitors explained that the employer’s [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery after Trump tariffs; Job vacancies fall February 23, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Tariffs are once more redefining market sentiment. Last Friday, a number of FTSE 100 stocks popped on the news President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ levies had been struck down by the US Supreme Court. It marked a major boost to global markets after the top [...]
The polling is clear: UK public is finally ready for serious NHS reform February 23, 2026 New polling shows the public mood has shifted on the NHS. The government must respond, writes Dr Emmanuel Igwe.
UK and Trump in new tariff discussions as businesses sound alarm February 22, 2026 The UK is in discussions with the US over President Trump’s latest tariff salvo, a cabinet minister has confirmed, as businesses sound the alarm about the increased rate. President Donald Trump raised his base global tariff rate to 15 per cent on Saturday after the US Supreme Court struck down the authority he used to [...]
Trump says he is raising global tariffs after Supreme Court ruling February 21, 2026 US President Donald Trump has said he will raise his new global tariff rate to 15 per cent from 10 per cent, a day after the US Supreme Court struck down his policy. Trump signed a proclamation slapping a temporary 10 per cent duty on imports under section 122 of the 1974 trade act, which [...]