From crown jewel to €180m courtroom battle: The investor revolt targeting Atos July 14, 2026 A top Whitehall tech supplier that historically managed vast swathes of critical data for the NHS is at the heart of a €180m (£153m) shareholder class action over its near-downfall two years ago. Euronext-listed Atos was once a crown jewel of the French tech sector, acting as a major partner for the French military and [...]
Why does Britain treat housebuilding as one big burden? July 14, 2026 Housebuilding is one of Britain's most obvious economic opportunities, yet government and citizens alike seem to see it only as a burden.
Which shadowy MoD figures are blocking London’s secret new town? July 14, 2026 Could creating a new town on a west London airfield be a welcome revelation for the new PM? If, that is, he can face down a shadowy opposition.
Reeves issues warning to successor as she battles to defend record July 14, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to issue a stern warning to her successor in Number 11 as she battles to defend her record after two years in office ahead of the overthrow of Labour’s election-winning leadership. In what is widely expected to be her final act as Chancellor before Andy Burnham is made Prime Minister next [...]
Burnham urged to go further to fix ‘broken’ business rates July 14, 2026 Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham must broaden his plans to reform the “broken and unsustainable” business rates system, hospitality and retail industry leaders have warned. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to slash business rates for high street firms but a coalition of trade bodies has urged him to go further. Ros [...]
Heatwave slows retail sales but World Cup boosts online shopping July 14, 2026 June’s scorching heat slowed retail sales, but Brits opted to shop from home instead, sending online sales soaring. Total retail sales in the UK slowed from 3.7 per cent in May to 1.9 per cent in June year on year, in line with this year’s average growth rate, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
Top investors managing $3tn to gain access to UK infrastructure projects via AI platform July 14, 2026 Top global investors managing around $3 trillion in assets will be given access to “fragmented” British infrastructure projects under plans for an AI platform designed to fix the industry’s investment woes. Both national and regional projects will be connected to trillions of global capital through the AI platform, dubbed InvestConnect, in a bid to accelerate [...]
Industry bodies call on Burnham to bring down energy bills to fire up growth July 14, 2026 Andy Burnham’s government must slash green levies on companies’ energy bills and bring forward support for energy-intensive industries if it wants to fire up Britain’s economy and win over a sceptical private sector, two of Britain’s largest industry bodies have said. In a joint report published today, the CBI and Energy UK called on the [...]
Trump reinstates US blockade of Strait of Hormuz July 13, 2026 Donald Trump said the United States has restored its blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz and would demand a 20 per cent fee on all other cargo transiting the shipping lane. In a further breakdown of relations with Iran, the President said the US Navy would stop “Iran’s ships entering or leaving” [...]
Grid delays force Starmer-backed AI data centre to seek alternative power July 13, 2026 One of the UK’s flagship AI infrastructure projects is being forced to source its own energy supplies after discovering it would not be granted grid connection in time for its eagerly anticipated opening. Nscale, the British AI unicorn backed by Nvidia, is now looking beyond conventional electricity connections for its flagship £2bn data centre in [...]