Premier League stadiums: Inside football’s grandstand revolution
The Premier League is going through a revolution, and it is not in the form of playing formations. Stadiums – new and old – are second homes for fans, the community centre of their weekend.
And England’s top flight is ever-changing. Three teams may get promoted each year and three may get relegated, but the visual landscape that makes up the 20 home arenas is shifting.
Over two thirds, 70 per cent, of the 20 Premier League teams have seen recent stadium development, are currently going through it, or are mulling changes in the future.
Arsenal, despite being just two decades into their new home, are reportedly looking at expansion. Newcastle United and Chelsea are contemplating completely new stadiums entirely.
Aston Villa, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Wolves are in the process of sending applications to authorities or preparing to build. Leeds United got permission to develop Elland Road on Thursday.
Manchester City are looking to open a new upper tier this year, while Liverpool, Fulham and Everton completed projects in the last 12 months.
Huge design houses, from Populous to KSS to Foster + Partners and BDP Pattern are responsible for a huge chunk of these developments, and BDP’s architect associate director, Nick Tyrer, says developed stadiums are beneficial to football and society.
They “help clubs generate more reliable income, which can be reinvested back onto the pitch and, just as importantly, into long-term stability for the club and its community,” he tells City AM.
Premier League revolution
“A stadium development also offers real, shared experiences, for creating memories, enjoying the atmosphere of a live game, and having more choice and flexibility before and after kick-off. Fans want a full matchday experience, beyond the 90 minutes. Being cognisant of this and designing stadiums with fans creates places brands want to be part of.”
BDP Pattern is behind Leeds United’s west stand redevelopment and was key to the completion of Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Elsewhere Populous, responsible for Tottenham Hotspur’s new arena, as well as Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium expansion, says “clubs want to deliver the best possible matchday and non-matchday experience for their fans, and the scale and ambition of stadium development projects currently being considered or underway in the Premier League and right across the football pyramid reflects this priority.”
The firm’s global head of design director Christopher Lee adds: “Working closely with our clients, for some the right solution is a completely new stadium, as we saw at Tottenham, but there are several routes to stadium redevelopment.
“These range from remodelling existing interiors, through single-stand redevelopments, to the expansion of an existing stand and more extensive mixed-use development of the surrounding area to introduce new amenities for fans and the wider community.
“A great example is the new Riverside Stand we recently delivered for Fulham FC, which incorporates bars, event spaces, restaurants, members’ clubs and a hotel and spa, creating an incredible experience on match day and non-match day alike.”
Demands are changing
Consumer demands are changing; Fulham’s new stand sees some season tickets reach £20,000 while Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are looking to see their stadium offering level up from what is on offer at the moment.
Brentford have a relatively new arena, alongside Tottenham, and are not actively expanding. One can envisage Sunderland looking at options while Burnley’s Turf Moor is focusing on fan zones. Brighton and West Ham United, too, are in reasonable arenas.
The average Premier League attendance is 41,626 for this season – a number larger than the capacity of 10 stadiums in the English top flight. But Tottenham and Fulham show that premium offerings, too, matter as much as the number of those trundling through the turnstiles.
“We recently delivered the architectural design at Hill Dickinson Stadium for Everton FC, which shows just how transformative a new stadium can be,” Tyrer adds. “It has given both the club and its supporters a real lift, injecting a sense of momentum and optimism. The stadium is now acting as a springboard for the club to grow into a truly modern organisation, with a global reach.
“The same thinking underpins proposals like the expansion of Elland Road: improve the matchday experience, extend dwell time, link the stadium to the city, respect and enhance what already makes the place special, and revenue follows. When supporters feel ownership of the place, clubs build stronger brands, and that’s where long-term value is created.”
Premier League tailored stadiums
And this is filtering down through the English football pyramid with US owners at the likes of Birmingham City – with their 12-chimney masterpiece – and Wrexham planning arena overhauls. The likes of Millwall, too, are looking to modernise their stadium offerings.
“In the case of Manchester City’s Etihad North Stand development,” Lee concludes, “they are both expanding an existing stand and adding new amenities, including a hotel, retail, office space and food and beverage outlets externally to create a full 24/7/365 leisure and entertainment destination that incorporates the new Populous-designed Co-op Live arena.
“The benefit of redevelopment is that these approaches offer a spectrum of scale, phasing and cost, allowing them to be tailored to clubs of any size to still deliver both a better experience on matchdays and increased revenue for the club.”
The Premier League seems to be in a state of build, build, build. And that appears to be good for business, appeasing to the eye and a sign of a sporting division that continues to drive forward.
Industry analysis
“With 14 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs either developing, redeveloping or actively planning stadium projects (or having recently completed a major project), English football is entering a decisive infrastructure phase,” Professor Rob Wilson tells City AM.
“This surge reflects more than modernisation. It signals a shift towards stadiums as long-term financial assets, underpinning revenue resilience beyond broadcast income. It’s a must improve revenue line for all.
“However, while enhanced facilities and matchday experiences support the league’s global competitiveness, the scale and concentration of investment also risk widening structural gaps within the football pyramid, raising questions about sustainability, access and competitive balance as the Premier League’s economic model continues to evolve. If you’re not with the pack, you can forget joining in anytime soon.”
We reveal England’s most ‘fucked’ pub thanks to Is My Pub Fucked
A new website called Is My Pub Fucked (ismypubfucked.com) has been set up to identify the most at risk pubs in the country, ranking them by how “fucked” they are.
The website uses official data from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to identify which pubs will be most affected by the proposed increases to the business rates bills faced by pubs in England. The result is a list of the businesses facing the biggest increases, with those set to see a rise of more than 200 per cent categorised as “absolutely fucked”.
The website was designed by Ben Guerin, co-founder of digital-led creative agency Topham Guerin. He said he created the website as an avid fan of British pubs and wanted a way to work out which ones needed his support most.
There could be some respite for these pubs, with the government expected to change the way business rates are calculated, resulting in smaller rises to bills. But Is My Pub Fucked points out that rates are “just one pressure” on the hospitality industry, with rising wages, higher National Insurance, increased alcohol duty, soaring energy costs and decreased customer spending all contributing to the catastrophe.
“This tool exists to shine a light on what pubs are up against – and to help you find one near you that could use your support,” says Guerin.
The most “fucked pub” in the country is the Victoria Inn located in Gloucester, which faces a potential 673 per cent hike in rates, equivalent to a £25,000 increase. Next is the Berkeley Arms, also in Gloucester, with a £14,000 additional bill representing a 933 per cent rise, then The Den in Bristol, where £22,700 more would be a 473 per cent increase.
The biggest percentage increase would be The Bertie Arms in Stamford outside Peterborough, where a £43,750 rise in rates would be equivalent to a 1,944 per cent rise, according to ismypubfucked.com.
The biggest monetary increase would be Oxford’s The Longwall, which could see its rates rocket by £630,000, a 94 per cent increase. The Premier Inn and Beafeater Grill in Dartford could see a £546,000 hike.
The “most fucked pub” in the capital is the Spread Eagle in Wandsworth, facing a £104,000 hike *+622 per cent). The Beaten Docket in Cricklewood, North West London is second in London with an “absolutely fucked” rating – it could see rates increase by £138,000 or 431 per cent. It’s followed by the Dog and Bell in Deptford which is in 40th place on the overall leaderboard with a potential rise of £74,000 equating to a 426 per cent rise. Fourth is the Wickham Arms in Brockley at number 45 with a £37,250 increase (+425 per cent).
The list can be displayed in the form of a heat-map, with green representing “fine”, yellow “feeling it”, orange “struggling”, red “fucked” and a red outline on a black circle meaning “absolutely fucked”, with rates increasing by more than 200%.
Britain does not have to accept industrial decline
Britain’s industrial decline was not inevitable. It’s time to revive Britain’s industrial economy as a national priority, writes Rian Chad Whitton
Policymakers must treat their survival as a national priority.
At the turn of the millennium, Britain’s manufacturing sector was strong. This was especially true of its energy-intensive industries such as steel, cement, chemicals, glass, ceramics and petroleum refining. The UK had the fourth-largest industrial economy in the world, and more than 800,000 people worked in foundational industrial sectors such as oil and gas extraction, refining, metals, chemicals and inorganics. Contrary to popular belief, Britain’s energy-intensive production did not peak in the 1970s; it reached its high point in 2002.
But in 2026, Britain stands close to an industrial crisis. Energy-intensive industries – from steel and ceramics to industrial gases and poultry processing – now operate at roughly half their output in 2000. Employment has dropped from over 800,000 to under 413,500; in 2023 alone it fell eight per cent, and is continuing to slide with high-profile closures like Prax Lindsay refinery and the Fife ethylene plant.
Some pressures are global. China’s rapid manufacturing expansion since 2000 has pushed down prices worldwide, squeezing margins for producers in advanced economies. Overproduction of steel, plastics and bulk chemicals in East Asia has depressed global markets. Many Western governments responded with protective measures; Britain largely did not.
But one major factor is down to government policy: energy costs. Since 2004, both gas and electricity prices for industry have risen sharply, with British industrial electricity becoming the most expensive in the developed world. This is directly tied to Britain’s Net Zero commitments and the policies designed to support them.
Since the 2008 Climate Change Act, Britain has been legally bound to five-year carbon budgets limiting domestic emissions. While electricity generation has decarbonised rapidly, total consumption emissions – the carbon embedded in imports – have barely fallen. These policies have pushed costs onto energy bills through green levies and indirect requirements such as subsidies for backup gas power and expanded transmission. For many factories, high energy prices are now the decisive factor behind closures and job losses. These costs are expected to rise even as wholesale gas prices flatline.
Steel is the most visible casualty. British Steel Scunthorpe and Liberty Steel Rotherham collapsed as commercial operations, leading to effective nationalisation. Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant survives only because of a £500m government package. Sheffield Forgemasters, essential to defence-grade steel production, was taken under Ministry of Defence ownership in 2021 and still requires tens of millions in annual support. Sheffield-based TiVac Alloys, a major producer of ferro-titanium alloys, also folded.
How to revive Britain’s industrial economy
But the crisis goes well beyond steel. Rising carbon costs, in the form of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), have damaged sectors dependent on cheap natural gas for industrial heat. In 2025, Britain will have gone from six operational oil refineries to four, while two out of three ethylene crackers have closed. Since Covid, the country has ceased production of all ammonia, a key input in nitrogen fertiliser. Cement production is 72 per cent of its 2007 level, while imports have more than doubled and prices have risen significantly, fuelling inflation in the housing sector.
Some argue that Britain should accept this decline and specialise in high-value sectors while importing basic materials. But Britain’s retreat from heavy industry has coincided with weak productivity growth and reduced influence in advanced technology. Materials such as steel, glass, plastics and cement underpin modern supply chains. New industries like battery manufacturing, drones and the growing reliance on data centres to power advances in artificial intelligence are extremely energy-intensive.
What I have dubbed the “foundational industrial economy” (FIE), which includes extraction and energy-intensive manufacturing, employed 445,000 people in 2023 – just 1.4 per cent of jobs. But it generated £57bn in gross value added (GVA) – 2.5 per cent of the British total. The average FIE job produces £128,000 in value added compared with £72,000 for the average British worker, a 77 per cent productivity premium. Outside London, the sector accounts for 1.7 per cent of jobs but three per cent of GVA. These are not low-productivity jobs; they are the backbone for hundreds of cities and towns.
Reversing decline requires action, as I outline in Destroying the Foundations, my new report with the Prosperity Institute. Net Zero-related levies should be removed from energy bills. Wholesale costs could be reduced by abolishing the carbon price support and expanding free allowances under the ETS, or even getting rid of the cap-and-trade system altogether. Subsidies for speculative technologies such as green hydrogen should be cut or redirected toward essential industrial needs.
Britain’s 78 per cent effective tax rate on oil and gas production should be lowered, and restrictions on new field licences lifted. While this will not eliminate the need for imports, it will support around 30,000 high-value jobs, improve energy security and reduce the current-account deficit.
The FIE drives productivity, supports wider manufacturing and provides high-paid jobs in regions that need them most. If these industries collapse, the jobs will not be replaced by better opportunities. Policymakers must treat their survival as a national priority. Britain cannot prosper without a solid industrial base.
Rian Chad Whitton is an analyst at Bismarck Analysis. He writes a Substack on British industry, Doctor Syn
Purton to prove Invincible aboard Fortune and Paradise
LOCAL racegoers in Hong Kong can look forward to an exciting and highly informative 11-race programme on Sunday, with a number of gallopers on show putting their credentials on the line before the Four-Year-Old Classic Series begins next month.
The three-race series starts with the Classic Mile on February 1st, followed by the nine-furlong Classic Cup and then the ultimate dream for owners in the city, the BMW Hong Kong Derby, run over 10 furlongs at the end of March.
There has been plenty of media attention as to which horse champion jockey Zac Purton will pin his hopes on, with probably Invincible Ibis and Sagacious Life his most likely candidates.
Supporters of the record-breaking jockey have had a tough time in recent weeks, with the Zac-Man only obliging on four of his last 41 rides, a pretty poor return remembering that over half of his mounts started favourite.
There is no doubting, however, Purton comes alive on big-race days and you can be sure he will be fully focused on making the right choices before the Four-Year-Old Classic Series commences.
Purton had already given a commitment to connections to ride Beauty Bolt in the Pak Shek Au Handicap (9.15am) over a mile, so has had to forgo renewing his successful association with INVINCIBLE IBIS.
The highly progressive Australian import has looked the real deal in recent contests and looks a plum pick-up ride for jockey Hugh Bowman.
Purton has always had a lot of time for hat-trick seeking LITTLE PARADISE who can prove a legitimate Classic Mile contender in the Racing Club Cup (8.05am) over seven furlongs.
The son of Toronado has impressed with his never-say-die attitude and will be hard to beat, although keep an eye on the David Hayes-trained and lightly raced Public Attention, who is the stable’s number one contender for the Classic Series.
Hayes and Purton join forces aboard former course-and-distance winner FORTUNE BOY who for the first time this season runs over his optimum distance in the Pak Sha O Handicap (8.40am) over nine furlongs.
The partnership will be hard to beat, with ultra-consistent Mister Dapper nominated as his principal threat.
POINTERS
Little Paradise 8.05 am Sha Tin
Fortune Boy 8.40am Sha Tin
Invincible Ibis 9.15am Sha Tin
Eustace’s Helene can be a Supa Star in Hong Kong
SERIOUS bettors on Hong Kong racing need to set their alarm clocks early on Sunday morning to support ROBOT STAR, who seeks to atone for an unlucky defeat last time when he lines up in division two of the Wu Kau Tang Handicap (6.30am) over seven furlongs.
To use the word ‘unlucky’ for his recent performance is the understatement of the season, with this well-bred son of Extreme Choice pinned on the rails all the way down the home straight and never seeing daylight.
Poor jockey Jerry Chau continually tried the extract himself from that uncompromising position, but to no avail, and was pictured sitting high in the saddle while his rival jockeys were throwing the kitchen sink at their gallopers in the closing stages.
To be only beaten just over three lengths back in eighth place speaks volumes about that performance, and it is a question of what might have been.
Having already shown good ability when an encouraging fourth on his debut behind highly regarded Majestic Valour on his debut in November, he is surely much better than his present handicap mark and has excellent claims of proving that point.
The icing on the cake is Zac Purton taking over in the saddle and he can steer the Manfred Man-trained gelding to a welcome success.
Later on the card, keep an eye on once-raced HELENE SUPAFEELING who seeks to successfully follow up last month’s debut victory, in the Stanley Gap Handicap (9.50am) over seven furlongs.
The former Archie Watson-trained UK galloper was a notable fifth to Cosmic Year in the Listed King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket in May last year and had that strong form advertised by the winner subsequently finishing runner-up in the Irish 2000 Guineas.
Now trained by David Eustace, the son of City Light produced an eye-catching performance with a powerful late surge to overcome rivals over six furlongs last month and is likely to prove even better racing over an extra furlong.
The four-year-old is already being touted as a possible Classic Series contender and can use this contest as a springboard before stepping up against better company.
POINTERS
Robot Star 6.30am Sha Tin
Helene Supafeeling 9.50am Sha Tin
Meet the winners of Santander X Awards 2025
For all the talk of Britain’s startup slowdown, the winners of the Santander X Awards 2025 paint a rosier picture.
Held under Santander’s global entrepreneurship platform, the awards recognise early-stage founders, startups and SMEs tackling structural challenges.
This year’s winners span medical devices, women’s health and climate-resilient agriculture, united by a common theme of practical innovation meeting real-world constraints.
Santander positions itself as well as a financier to winners, but also as a long-term partner as they scale, offering training, community, exposure, and financial tools at every stage of development. For the winners, the value lies as much in credibility and networks as it does in prize money.
And in an economy where access to capital, regulation and trust can be the difference between impact and irrelevance, this backing matters.
Amparo World
Amparo World, winner in the SME category, is tackling a problem most people in developed markets rarely encounter.
While prosthetic technology itself has advanced incrementally in the past few years, the process of fitting and delivering prosthetics remains slow, centralised and expensive, effectively excluding m amputees worldwide.
“Access to prosthetic care was very limited,” says Frederico Carpinteiro, co-founder of Amparo. “Most lower-limb amputees don’t have access because prosthetic fitting still relies on trial-and-error, multiple clinic visits, and specialist centres that are usually located in cities.”
For people with limited mobility, often living far from urban healthcare hubs, that system simply doesn’t work.
Amparo’s solution is a direct-fitted prosthetic socket that can be delivered and fitted anywhere in under two hours, removing the need for repeated clinic visits. It’s therefore a fundamental rethink of a process that hasn’t changed in decades.
But scaling hardware in healthcare is rarely a straightforward feat.
“The hardest part has been funding fast growth,” Carpinteiro added. “Hardware products require upfront cash to build stock, and that creates serious cashflow pressure.”
Despite this, Amparo is already working in more than 45 countries and has recently become an NHS-approved supplier, a milestone many health-tech startups never achieve.
Santander X’s support, Carpinteiro says, is about achieving this awareness. “It will help bring awareness to Amparo and expand our network so we can get to more people faster.”
We Are Boost
If Amparo is about access, We Are Boost is about listening to the needs above general healthcare. Founded by Samantha Jackman, Boost emerged after her mother struggled with a traditional silicone breast prosthesis following a mastectomy. It was heavy and uncomfortable, and in her words, emotionally draining.
“At first, we didn’t know if this was just my mum’s experience,” Jackman says. “So we didn’t rush to fix a product. We went out and listened.”
And what they were told was consistent. Women often felt ignored by an industry that hadn’t meaningfully evolved in decades. This was apparent in their limited colour options, little thought for comfort or sustainability, and designs that reinforced loss rather than recovery.
“The core problem wasn’t just the product,” Jackman added. “It was that women hadn’t been properly listened to.”
Boost’s lightweight products have been designed to feel less intrusive, both physically and psychologically, and are already available across Wales and parts of the UK. But women’s health innovation still meets scepticism in funding rooms.
“Women’s health is often viewed as niche. Many decision-makers don’t have lived experience of these issues, so the scale and urgency are underestimated.”
Recognition like the Santander X Award helps shift that perception for the sector. “It gives us credibility. It shows our business is robust, our product works, and there is real demand.”
Muju Earth
Climate innovation often targets emissions after the damage is done. But Muju Earth, the founder winner in the university category, is starting underground.
“So much climate tech treats symptoms,” says Hu Wangyang, part of the founding team. “But soil health sits at the root of food security, biodiversity and carbon storage”.
Modern agriculture has compressed and weakened soil often through heavy machinery and heavy chemicals, reducing oxygen and biological activity. The results have led to poorer yields, waterlogging and fragility in extreme weather.
Muju Earth’s answer is what it calls the Aeropod, a biodegradable capsule planted like a seed. It is triggered by soil conditions, aerates compacted ground, releases nutrients, and breaks down naturally.
“Farmers are dealing with compaction and unpredictable weather every year,” Wangyang added. “There aren’t many affordable tools that fit into existing farming practices.”
Santander X funding will help Muju Earth bridge the gap between prototype and production by replacing materials with soil-safe alternatives, running greenhouse tests, and preparing for larger field trials.
Longer term, their ambition is to expand globally. “We want soil regeneration to be practical and accessible anywhere. If we get this right, we help protect food systems and reduce dependence on heavy machinery worldwide.”
A different picture of UK innovation
Taken together, the Santander X Award winners paint a positive picture of university–born British entrepreneurship
These startups are businesses dealing with regulation, manufacturing and adoption, often difficult feats in the market, with various solutions designed to fix real issues across the country.
In a year when scaling has become harder and capital more selective, Santander X’s focus on their long-term support. And for the founders walking away with this year’s awards will give them the impetus to carry on and expand.
A Ghost in Your Ear is the scariest show in London
Theatre has evolved remarkably little over the centuries – plonk Shakespeare in the front row at the Almeida and he’d immediately recognise what’s going on. One area that feels ripe for exploration is the use of headphones to introduce another dimension to productions. The idea was used to incredible effect in the 2019 production Anna at the National Theatre, which placed the audience in the role of Stasi agents listening in to the lives of characters on stage. More recently Punchdrunk used headphones in its immersive show Viola’s Room, putting the soft whisper of Helena Bonham Carter directly in your ear holes to tell an intimate, atmospheric coming-of-age tale.
But what better use could there be for the technology than scaring the bejeesus out of you? A Ghost in Your Ear sees the audience gaze into a sound studio as voice actor George (George Blagden) prepares to record a spooky story. The binaural microphone in front of him, shaped like a human head, contains microphones in each ear – when he speaks into the left, the audience hears it on their left. When he paces the room, we follow his sound. And when he speaks to the back of the head, it sounds like he’s standing behind us…
George and sound engineer Sid (Jonathan Livingstone) show how impressive the sound set-up is by chucking a set of jangling keys across the room, which sound like they’re whistling right past you.
The ghost story is a fairly straightforward tale about a man visiting the abandoned house where his estranged father lived until his recent death. As per the ominous final request, George is tasked with clearing his father’s possessions into a skip before burning everything in the library. The macabre tale has echoes of Mark Gatiss’ televised Christmas ghost stories, and the director even appears in A Ghost in Your Ear in an uncredited voice role.
It’s a slow-burn story, allowing us to luxuriate in Blagden’s deliciously spooky voiceover. There are subtle effects in the sound studio – the flickering of the recording light to mimic the embers of a fire or the dimming of lights to represent the setting sun – but for the most part we’re alone with George and his increasingly deranged thoughts.
As things ramp up, both George and the audience begin to hear things that don’t seem to be a part of the story – a faint whisper here and a sinister tapping there. But it’s the moments when elements of the story start to manifest in the studio that have people jumping out of their seats in fright.
It’s a brilliantly conceived show, the simple set-up and minimalist design adding to the potency of the technology and performance.
The only downside is the impossibly cramped seating in the Hampstead Theatre’s downstairs space, which saw people wriggling as much through physical discomfort as they were in psychological distress.
Tickets to A Ghost in Your Ear come with a warning: this is not for the faint of heart. I can confirm the scares are every bit as impressive as the technology.
UK job applicants double amid AI-driven squeeze
Britain’s hiring market has become more competitive than any major economy, City AM understands, as workers and recruiters struggle to adapt to AI in recruitment.
Britain’s job market is entering an AI-driven bottleneck, with the number of applicants per open role having more than doubled since Spring 2022, according to data shared by LinkedIn.
The job market platform found that while over half of UK workers (53 per cent) are actively looking for a new role this year, nearly three quarters say finding a job has been more difficult over the past year.
That’s a steeper deterioration than in the US, France or Germany.
The squeeze is being driven by a slowing economy, rising competition for roles, and the dizzying rate of AI in hiring processes, which many candidates do not know how to navigate.
Despite 77 per cent of job seekers planning to use such tools to support their job search, almost half say they are unsure how to stand out in AI-screened applications.
Meanwhile, recruiters are feeling the strain on the flip side of the same coin, with nearly four in five recruiters telling LinkedIn that it has been harder to find suitable candidates over the same time frame.
AI reshapes the process
This pressure has already been shifting career decisions across generations, with one in five Gen X job hunters considering switching job fields altogether.
Meanwhile, 21 per cent of Gen Z are taking it upon themselves to upskill in areas like AI to improve their chances of landing a job.
Entrepreneurship is also on the rise, as professionals leave traditional career ladders, with “founder” among the fastest-growing titles on the platform, a sign that some workers are opting to create their own jobs.
Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn’s UK career expert, said: “AI is now shaping everything from how jobs are advertised to how candidates are screened and interviewed,” she said. “People know they need to use these tools, but many don’t yet feel fluent enough to use them strategically.”
This report comes amid wider concerns about productivity, skills shortages, and the resilience of the UK labour market, as firms face higher taxes and wage costs.
While fears of mass AI-driven job losses persist, the immediate impact is being felt through stricter entry requirements and higher expectations for digital skills.
In the past 12 months, job ads featuring AI skills have grown by 62 per cent, according to a different report, while entry-level positions in professional services across the UK have declined by up to 35 per cent.
Ben Litvinoff, associate director of Robert Walters, said: “Most firms, especially across finance and technology sectors, are ramping up efforts around both Security and AI projects.”
“Efforts to stay ahead with AI as well as provide enhanced resilience require tech teams working behind the scenes to bring organisational infrastructures up to speed.”
City businesses warned of disruptions from surge in protests
City based businesses are being warned to brace for a potential rise in damage or disruption next year, as the UK is predicted to see an increase in protest activity in 2026.
A new analysis by Verisk Maplecroft suggests Europe will be among the regions most exposed to protest-related disruption in the coming 12 months, with the UK among the top 10 countries forecasted to see the highest levels of activity globally.
Protesters are not only increasing in frequency but also in size, as European countries accounted for six of the 10 nations that saw the biggest increases in protester numbers.
Lloyd’s of London insurer MS Amlin said companies face a heightened risk of losses from
office closures and spillover damage as demonstrations and civil unrest intensify across
Europe.
This comes as social media platforms have accelerated the pace at which protests can form and spread, giving businesses less time to prepare.
As a result, Lloyd’s of London insurer MS Amlin has told City AM that, due to increased protests, companies face a heightened risk of losses from office closures and spillover damage from demonstrations and civil unrest.
Guillaume Watkins, MS Amlin’s lead underwriter for political violence, warned City firms should
expect disruption to rise further in the year ahead.
“Even peaceful protests can shut businesses out of their own premises if streets are closed
or access is restricted. Where protests escalate into vandalism or disorder, the financial
impact can be even more significant,” he noted.
Firms urged to review insurance policies
There was a surge of protests across the City over 2025, including protest led by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson, and Invesco hit with a “red paint” attack by Palestine Action.
However, mid-sized firms most exposed, as Watkins warned that firms might be underinsured against political violence risks.
Lloyd’s of London requires insurers to model a 500-metre blast radius when stress-testing
terrorism risk.
“As protests become more frequent and disruptive, firms should review their insurance to
check they are adequately covered. You don’t have to be a target to experience a loss,” he added.
He advises businesses to review insurance coverage, plan for scenarios, assess risks on the premises, and monitor the news.
“You don’t have to be a target to experience a loss,” Watkins added.
UK threatened with sanctions if Starmer blocks Musk’s X
The UK has been warned it could face US sanctions if Sir Keir Starmer attempts to block Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, amid mounting concern over its AI tool generating sexualised images of women and children.
Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican Congresswoman and ally of Donald Trump, said she was drafting legislation that would allow the US to sanction the UK if the UK bans or restricts X under the Online Safety Act.
Luna, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said any move against the platform would amount to “a political war against Elon Musk and free speech”.
Her intervention follows revelations that users have been exploiting X’s AI chatbot, Grok, to create non-consensual sexual images, including images involving children.
The Internet Watch Foundation has confirmed it identified criminal child sexual abuse imagery, involving children aged between 11 and 13, which appeared to have been generated using Grok and shared on dark web forums.
The controversy has put Downing Street under pressure to explain why the government continues to use X as its official communications channel.
Starmer said this week that “all options are on the table” to force compliance with UK law, including backing enforcement action by Ofcom.
The Online Safety Act gives the regulator powers to levy fines running into billions of pounds or, in extreme cases, seek court orders that could result in services being blocked in the UK.
Ofcom has historically never exercised its strongest powers, and any ban would require a lengthy legal process.
Luna said legislation was “being drafted” in the US that would mirror previous actions taken against countries or officials seen as restricting X.
She pointed to Washington’s decision last year to sanction a Brazilian judge who temporarily blocked the platform, as well as travel restrictions imposed on former EU digital chief Thierry Breton.
Downing Street has dismissed suggestions that recent changes by X go far enough.
After criticism mounted, X limited Grok’s image-generation features to paid subscribers.
A Number 10 spokesman said the move was “not a solution”, adding that it merely turned “an AI feature that allows the creation of unlawful images into a premium service”.
“What it does prove is that X can move swiftly when it wants to do so,” the spokesperson said, confirming that Ofcom has the government’s full backing to take enforcement action.
The row has also triggered debate within Labour over whether the party and government should leave the platform altogether.
Anna Turley, Labour’s party Chair and a cabinet office minister, said conversations were taking place about continued use of X, describing the images generated by Grok as “completely unacceptable”.
Several MPs and committees, including the Commons women and equalities committee, have already stopped using the platform.
Others argue the government should remain on X to reach voters where they are active.
A ban on X, which hosts around 20 million users across the country, would mark a significant escalation in tensions between London and Washington, pitting online safety enforcement against free-speech concerns and adding a new flashpoint to transatlantic tech relations.