£74m for branded condoms? UK must stop spaffing cash on foreign aid September 3, 2026 Labour is plotting to reverse cuts to foreign aid, but the UK's spending history reveals a questionable use of funds, writes Anne Strickland.
Mark Kleinman: Healey unlikely to resist clamour for bank windfall tax September 3, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column. The sense of déjà vu among Britain’s bank chiefs is palpable. Eight weeks ahead of new Chancellor John Healey’s inaugural fiscal statement and the industry is engaged in another frantic round of lobbying against tax rises. This [...]
Andrew Griffith: Burnham ‘making up stories’ about my role in Truss Budget September 3, 2026 Andrew Griffith has accused Andy Burnham of “making up stories” about his involvement in the disastrous Liz Truss mini-Budget as the new Conservative shadow Chancellor fends off a barrage of attack lines from the Prime Minister following his appointment by Kemi Badenoch on Monday. Addressing the House of Commons on Tuesday and again at Prime [...]
Andrew Griffith: My FTSE 100 experience means I know how to balance the books September 3, 2026 Andrew Griffith’s fierce interest in politics long preceded his involvement in it. Aged 26, he appeared in the audience of a 1997 Question Time show, in which host David Dimbleby gave him the opportunity to speak to would-be PM Tony Blair. He didn’t hold back. “You may be the glossy smart marketing, but you haven’t [...]
Retailers urge Healey to unwind national insurance hike to boost jobs September 3, 2026 Retailers have called on Chancellor John Healey to unwind some of the national insurance reforms made by his predecessor in a bid to tackle the youth joblessness crisis. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer, has written to the Chancellor, urging him to unwind “soaring employment costs”. [...]
Uber launches ‘autonomous’ cabs in London September 3, 2026 Londoners will be able to order “autonomous” Ubers from today as the ride-hailing firm becomes the first company to launch automated driving technology to customers in Britain. The San Francisco-based firm announced it will allow users to book the autonomous cars through its app in London from Thursday, via its partnership with British AI driving [...]
Tesco, B&Q and Whitbread scolded in minimum wage crackdown September 3, 2026 Labour’s new workers’ rights police force has scolded Tesco, B&Q and Whitbread, and more than 600 other firms, for failing to pay the minimum wage. The Fair Work Agency has published the names of 658 companies which have been fined £7m and forced to return £4m to more than 27,000 workers who have not been [...]
Khan demands Burnham block Heathrow expansion over net zero September 3, 2026 London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has demanded Andy Burnham to block the Heathrow airport runway expansion on the grounds of net zero. Khan, who has long opposed the construction of a second Heathrow runway, linked the expansion to the effects on climate change including “extreme heatwaves, drought and wildfires”. “The truth is the whole case [...]
Badenoch: Cut benefits to fund £10bn defence spending package September 2, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has urged the government to cut housing benefits, child benefits and re-route public investment in order to fund a £10bn boost on defence spending every year. The Tory leader, who had previously called for an increase in defence expenditure without laying out full funding plans, said that Chancellor John Healey “should adopt” plans [...]
Fulham owner Khan sees his £1bn stadium construction project take next steps September 2, 2026 Owner of Premier League club Fulham, Shahid Khan, is spending £1bn on a major stadium upgrade as he looks to expand his corporate offering. The Pakistani-American businessman, who is reportedly worth nearly $15bn, will see his team relocated by 150 miles while the works, which will be completed in time for the summer of 2028, [...]