Mahmood agenda bites: Migrant worker applications nearly halve in a year April 9, 2026 The number of applications for skilled worker visas has nearly halved in a year after home secretary Shabana Mahmood raised the barriers to entry for migrants. Official data released by the Home Office showed that there were 34,700 skilled worker visa applications in the year to March. This was a 44 per cent decrease from [...]
Taxpayers brace for a financial hit after personal allowance rule change April 9, 2026 British taxpayers are bracing for a fresh financial hit as changes to the personal allowance creeps closer. While the personal allowance itself is not changing, remaining frozen at £12,570 until 2031, a subtle change will take effect from the next tax year, as the government places a new lock onto how it is applied, affecting [...]
Panmure Liberum: Netherlands will win first Fifa World Cup April 9, 2026 Investment bank Panmure Liberum has predicted the Netherlands will win their first World Cup this summer having correctly forecast the previous three winners. In a note published on Thursday, author Joachim Klement said that the Netherlands under Ronald Koeman will lift the iconic gold trophy in New Jersey this summer. He correctly predicted Germany to [...]
Rolls-Royce boss ‘Turbo Tufan’ gets backing for £18m pay packet April 9, 2026 The boss of Rolls-Royce looks to have secured the shareholder backing for a multi-million pound pay bump. Tufan Erginbilgic, who took charge of the firm at the start of 2023, is set to win approval for a £18m pay packet, which will see his annual bonus entitlement increase from two to three times his base [...]
Fuel shortages, hunger, inflation spiral: IMF fears ‘scarring’ harm from Iran war April 9, 2026 Several fuel shortages, hunger and spiralling inflation will be some of the consequences of the Iran war as the head of the International Monetary Fund said that it would leave “scarring effects” on the global economy. In a speech by Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, global policymakers were warned that trade disruption across the [...]
Exclusive: London Broncos shelve plans for match at Twickenham Stoop April 9, 2026 London Broncos have put plans to host a rugby league game at Harlequins’ Stoop on the backburner, City AM understands. The capital’s premier rugby league team had planned to take on Featherstone Rovers at the 15,000-capacity rugby union stadium in Twickenham but their planned opponents were unable to compete in this year’s Betfred Championship due [...]
Demand soars for central London offices while outskirts snubbed April 9, 2026 The demand for central London office space is soaring while vacant buildings are piling up on the fringes of the capital. The vacancy rate – which is a key indicator of demand – of central London offices has fallen to its lowest level in this decade as occupiers target prime locations like the City and [...]
Iran war sparks sharp reversal in European ETF rally April 9, 2026 European ETF flows ran out of road in March, as the Iran war pared back market gains from the first two months of the year and investors returned to the sidelines. The European exchange-traded fund (ETF) and exchange-traded commodities (ETC) market saw a sharp decline in investment during March, gathering only €9.4bn (£8.1bn), according to [...]
OpenAI pauses Stargate UK project over energy costs and regulation April 9, 2026 OpenAI has paused plans to develop a major AI data centre project in the UK, citing high energy costs and regulatory uncertainty. The US firm confirmed that its ‘Stargate UK’ infrastructure initiative, first announced in September, has been put on hold as it reassesses the conditions needed for long-term investment. “We see huge potential for [...]
UK’s best bank revealed – and it’s not a bank April 9, 2026 The UK banking sector’s top bank has been crowned – and (spoiler) it’s not a bank. A new report from Forbes and market research firm Statista analysed the global banking system for the world’s top names in the sector. Over 54,000 people were surveyed across 34 countries in 17 different languages between October and November [...]