Pension ping pong: Now government backtracks on mandation powers April 22, 2026 The government has been forced to water down controversial mandation powers in the Pension Schemes Bill after prolonged uproar from the pensions industry and opposition MPs and peers. Pensions minister Torsten Bell has tried to push through the bill with a clause that gives ministers the power to force funds to invest in UK infrastructure [...]
Economic optimism slumps to lowest level since records began April 22, 2026 Brits’ optimism in the state of the UK economy has fallen to the lowest level since records began in a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves, with the majority expecting the situation to get even worse. That’s according to new data from the latest Ipsos Economic Optimism Index (EOI), published the same day that the rate [...]
Should you build an AI clone of your CEO? No! April 22, 2026 As Meta launches an AI avatar of Mark Zuckerberg, Paul Armstrong writes why cloning your boss means cloning mistakes.
Food inflation rises as ‘storm clouds gather’ April 22, 2026 Food inflation has started to climb as industry figures warn “storm clouds are gathering” over potential double-digit food inflation later this year. The rate of food inflation climbed to 3.7 per cent in the year to March, up from 3.3 per cent year on year to February, according to the Office of National Statistics. This [...]
Peer pressure: Starmer admits former aide was considered for diplomatic role April 22, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has admitted that he considered appointing Lord Matthew Doyle for an ambassadorial role without the foreign secretary knowing, amid growing questions over the Prime Minister’s judgment in key decisions. The Prime Minister appeared to accept that Doyle, who recently had the Labour whip removed following revelations about his relationship with a sex [...]
Roman Abramovich heads to European Court of Human Rights April 22, 2026 Roman Abramovich has headed to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge a criminal investigation into the Russian oligarch being carried out by authorities in Jersey. The former Chelsea FC owner has been under investigation for four years by the Channel Islands authorities in a move that has seen £5.3bn of his assets frozen. [...]
London house prices sink again as wealthiest areas hit April 22, 2026 House prices in London have fallen for the seventh consecutive month, as the capital’s luxury hot spots saw huge slumps in value. House prices dropped more than 12 per cent in Westminster – which includes in-demand areas like Mayfair and Knightsbridge – and 11 per cent in Kensington and Chelsea. The average house price in [...]
Tech firms sign for 400,000 sq ft of London office space in a month April 22, 2026 AI firms have signed for nearly 400,000 sq ft of London office space in under a month, in the biggest rush of tech leasing the capital has seen in a generation. Anthropic confirmed this week it has taken 158,000 sq ft at One Triton Square near Euston in a deal with British Land and Royal [...]
Hollywood consortium revives bid for Cardiff after Ospreys owners’ deal fails April 22, 2026 A Hollywood-backed consortium is ready to revive its bid to buy Cardiff Rugby and “do a Wrexham” after the collapse of Ospreys owner Y11 Sports & Media’s takeover, City AM understands. Y11’s bid to buy Cardiff from the Welsh Rugby Union was officially called off today after three months of talks, with the WRU saying [...]
End of the runway for Gatwick as top court kicks out insurance lifeline April 22, 2026 Gatwick Investment’s appeal against insurance giant Liberty Mutual has been struck down over whether insurers can deduct government furlough payments from business claims. The Supreme Court ruled that insurers do not have to pay an estimated £1bn to the hospitality and leisure companies involved in the case that suffered financial losses during the pandemic because [...]