HMRC claws back £1m cutting ties with outside tech suppliers July 5, 2026 HMRC has cut contractor costs by £1m a year after replacing a decades-old outsourcing model, as ministers face pressure to find £14bn of efficiency savings across Whitehall. Whitehall risks missing Labour’s £14bn efficiency savings target unless departments stop repeatedly buying the same digital expertise from outside suppliers, according to a British technology consultancy working across [...]
World Cup gives London restaurants and retailers Deliveroo boost July 5, 2026 England’s World Cup campaign has delivered a boost for restaurants and retailers across London, with new Deliveroo data showing a sharp increase in orders during the Three Lions’ group-stage matches. Exclusive figures shared with City AM show BBQ orders more than doubled across the capital during England’s matches against Croatia, Ghana and Panama, while picnic-related [...]
Labour defends Burnham’s ‘very powerful’ No 10 North plans July 5, 2026 Andy Burnham’s proposed ‘No 10 North’ would lead to a “very powerful reorganisation of government”, deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell has said. Her words come as ministers push ahead with one of the biggest overhauls of English local government in decades before Burnham is expected to enter Downing Street later this month, with Labour arguing [...]
Vance says ‘broken’ Britain must rebuild economy, not just change PM July 5, 2026 US vice president JD Vance has branded Britain’s politics “broken”, saying the country’s revolving door of prime ministers reflects a deeper economic failure that has hollowed out industry, weakened productivity and left voters demanding structural reform. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Vance said Britain’s recent political instability was symptomatic of long-term economic decline [...]
Football may not come home but US investors will still cash cheques here July 5, 2026 The US continues to invest in the English football pyramid. Matt Bonass gives his best shot at explaining why Football attracting money is not novel, but what has changed is the type of money, where the money has come from and the thinking behind it all. In a previous era club ownership was a passion [...]
Fifa World Cup 2026: The tournament of IP infringement and touts July 4, 2026 With the World Cup well underway, Ben Travers explains why IP laws are being ignored? Much has been written of the economics of the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which looks set to be the biggest yet with tens of billions in revenue on the table. With the global sports industry representing potentially trillions of dollars [...]
Andy Burnham says he will put essential services back under ‘stronger’ public control July 4, 2026 Andy Burnham has said he will set out a “new approach” to put essential services back under “stronger public control”. In an “ask me anything” session on online forum Reddit on Friday, Burnham, who is expected to be Starmer’s successor, confirmed he will look into placing services back under public control in an attempt to [...]
Making Miliband chancellor would be a ‘mistake’, Trump officials warn July 4, 2026 Senior officials in president Trump’s administration have privately warned that appointing Ed Miliband as chancellor would be a “mistake”, as speculation over who will take over from Rachel Reeves grows. US officials told their counterparts in Britain, as well as senior Labour figures, that they were concerned about Miliband’s opposition to new oil and gas [...]
‘That’s reality’: Burnham will have to focus on international affairs, Starmer warns July 4, 2026 Outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer has warned his expected successor that he will have to focus on dealing with global turmoil, arguing the world is “more dangerous and volatile”. In his first interview since announcing his resignation last month, Starmer said Burnham, who is anticipated to enter No 10 in the coming weeks, will be [...]
Free-to-air bonanza boon for fans, sport and marketers July 4, 2026 A weekend of wall-to-wall live sport on free-to-air television will serve as a boon for brands, terrestrial broadcasters and fans, experts have said. This weekend will see a monumental volume of sport across the five main free-to-air channels – BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and 5 – as well as ITV4 – as sports look [...]