As it happened: FTSE 100 and Wall Street hit by stock sell-off; CBI cuts UK GDP June 9, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Rachel Reeves is staring down another bruising growth downgrade this morning after the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) slashed the UK’s GDP forecast to 1.1 per cent for the year. The figure is a drop from 1.4 per cent last year and below the previous consensus of 1.3 [...]
‘Nobody’s getting a free pass’: Starmer warns Big Tech as social media ban looms June 9, 2026 Keir Starmer has warned tech firms they face government intervention if they fail to protect children online, as pressure mounts for tougher restrictions on social media access for under-16s. Opening London Tech Week on Monday, the prime minister used a speech focused on artificial intelligence, economic growth and Britain’s tech ambitions to deliver a stark [...]
Jeremy Hunt is right to ask Can We Be Rich Again? June 9, 2026 With the CBI’s latest economic forecasts warning of a dramatic spike in unemployment and a prolonged period of anaemic GDP growth, it’s a good time to reflect on the question posed by former chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his latest book, Can We Be Rich Again? The book is the latest in a series of works [...]
CBI: 200,000 more Brits to face unemployment this year as growth crumbles June 9, 2026 The UK economy is set for further pain in the months ahead, a top business group has warned, as consumers and businesses across the country suffer the effects of the Iran conflict, surging energy prices and a raft of government tax hikes. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said that around 200,000 more Brits [...]
Debt-saddled grads ‘risk earning less than minimum wage’ five years after leaving uni June 8, 2026 For nearly half of all university courses, those in the bottom quarter of the cohort end up earning less than minimum wage five years on from graduating, according to a new report on the outcomes crisis in higher education. The think tank Policy Exchange has found that rampant grade inflation and an explosion in university [...]
FCA seeks injunction against Neil Woodford over ‘unauthorised’ investment advice June 8, 2026 The financial watchdog has launched civil proceedings against former star fund manager Neil Woodford and his comeback venture over allegedly providing unauthorised investment advice. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has started civil proceedings against Woodford and W Four Point Zero FZE, which trades as W4.0. The FCA alleges that Woodford and W4.0, which is registered [...]
London Tech Week day one: AI talk has come back down to earth June 8, 2026 AI conversations are no longer about possibility, but infrastructure, writes Russ Shaw in day one of his London Tech Week diary.
‘We’ve got lots of things going for us America doesn’t’: Sadiq Khan on competing with Silicon Valley June 8, 2026 Sadiq Khan has claimed that shifting political dynamics in the US are actively driving tech talent and venture capital to the UK, arguing that London possesses structural and cultural advantages that “America doesn’t” as he seeks to position the capital against Silicon Valley. The Mayor of London announced a new £12m investment programme on Monday [...]
Starmer: Britain must ‘not stick its head in the sand’ on AI June 8, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain must not “stick its head in the sand” on artificial intelligence, with the technology set to fundamentally reshape the UK economy. The Prime Minister used his speech at London Tech Week to unveil a major sovereign computing push, new AI skills programmes and a vision for keeping Britain’s fastest-growing [...]
Labour bets £1.1bn on Britain’s AI chip race June 8, 2026 Keir Starmer’s government has unveiled a £1.1bn package aimed at turning Britain into a global AI hardware powerhouse, with ministers backing domestic chipmakers and pouring capital into training the next generation of engineers. The new AI Hardware Plan, announced at London Tech Week by tech secretary Liz Kendall, includes £750m for a new national AI [...]