F1 Arcade, curling and axes: Inside London’s sport experience economy May 14, 2026 Whether it’s Formula 1, pool, axe throwing or curling; London’s experience economy is thriving as City social habits change. Earlier this month, Formula 1 ended a five-week hiatus in Miami. But over 4,000 miles away in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, hundreds of fans gathered – at the last minute due to [...]
UK firms are spending billions on AI – but getting extra admin in return May 14, 2026 UK companies are pouring copious amounts of money into AI, while their employees spend nearly a full day each week doing work that AI was supposed to eliminate, new research has found. According to Workday, one in four UK workers loses seven or more hours a week moving information between systems, chasing down data and [...]
Starmer drama: Traders bet against UK as short-selling on pound and banks surges May 14, 2026 Traders are betting against the UK as the political storm in Westminster continues to send jitters through asset markets. The pound has tumbled to a two-week low against the dollar, clinging onto the $1.35 mark on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, figures from IG revealed that short-positioning on the pound-dollar, a bet that the price will further [...]
Crispin Odey settles sexual assault claims ahead of trial May 14, 2026 Former hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey has settled a string of sexual assault allegations brought against him just weeks ahead of a trial that was due next month. Odey had faced five personal injury claims against him brought by women who accused him of sexual assault. But he has settled four of the claims before [...]
Spire Healthcare shares rocket after £1bn bid approach May 14, 2026 Shares in Spire Healthcare shot to the top of the FTSE 250 on Wednesday, after the firm’s board signalled it would back a £1bn bid approach for the company from its second-biggest existing investor. Private equity outfit Toscafund said it would offer 250p per share, a hefty 66 per cent premium from Wednesday’s closing price [...]
Reeves sends Labour MPs warning over bond market wrath May 14, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sent anxious Labour backbenchers a stark warning on the wrath of bond markets in a bold intervention. After walking into Downing Street on Thursday morning, the Chancellor told the BBC that leadership battles risked “plunging the country into chaos”. She demanded that backbenchers maintained support for the Prime Minister as she [...]
German football giants plan biometric stadium entry in place of tickets May 14, 2026 Borussia Moenchengladbach are planning to become one of the first European football clubs to use biometric access technology in place of tickets. An increasing number of US sports venues now offer facial recognition or palm vein scanning as a way of speeding up entry and even buying food and drink or merchandise. In the few [...]
Future bets on SheerLuxe as Google squeezes digital publishers May 14, 2026 Future said the acquisition of SheerLuxe and a push into AI-driven products would help return the publisher to growth after weaker digital ad and ecommerce markets dragged profits lower in the first half. The media group behind Marie Claire, TechRadar and Go.Compare reported revenue of £349.1m for the six months to March 31, down from [...]
Charging up: National Grid to invest a further £70bn into energy networks May 14, 2026 National Grid has confirmed its commitment to invest an additional £70bn across the next five years into energy networks across the UK and US, as it continues its pivot towards becoming a net-zero energy system. The FTSE 100 company doubled down on its ambition to invest in energy infrastructure in its latest financial results, which [...]
Watches of Switzerland shares surge on record revenue as US demand soars May 14, 2026 Watches of Switzerland shares surged after the firm revealed record revenue growth, boosted by wealthy Americans flocking to luxury watches. The UK’s largest luxury watch retailer hailed a 13 per cent jump in revenue to £1.8bn in the year to May, as revenue climbed by 24 per cent to £1.2bn in its US market alone. [...]