Burnham takes on ‘rip-off’ discounts and subscriptions in cost of living push August 10, 2026 Andy Burnham has vowed to outlaw fake discounts and crack down on stealth subscriptions as he pledges to deliver “breathing room” on the cost of living. The Prime Minister has proposed to ban businesses from advertising “rip-off” discounts and said he will accelerate existing plans to make subscriptions easier to cancel. These two pledges come [...]
Ex-UK minister Robertson rubbishes Ukrainian claims he aided Russia’s Olympic return August 10, 2026 Former Sports Minister Sir Hugh Robertson has shut down claims he was central to Russia’s readmission into the Olympic Games, telling City AM that claims he is a “Russian stooge” are “rubbish”. The former Conservative cabinet minister and the International Olympic Committee’s chair of the Working Group on the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, has described [...]
Government to inject millions into electric vehicle firms despite mandate backlash August 10, 2026 The government will invest £65m into firms producing zero-emission vehicles, despite backlash from the automotive industry over its controversial electric vehicle mandate. The funding includes £50m for car firms and research partners to help produce electric vehicles at a larger scale. The Department of Business, Innovation, Science and Trade said the funding would support 1,800 [...]
Burnham to unveil new cost of living measures on UK tour August 9, 2026 Prime minister Andy Burnham will start a national tour on Monday to hear Brits’ concerns about the cost of living and unveil a series of measures to provide financial support. Burnham plans to use the national tour to tell voters about his 10-year plan for the UK, while also announcing his new policies to “give [...]
Government urged to refuse £1bn British Steel repayment to Chinese former owner August 7, 2026 Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been urged to refuse to pay back almost £1bn in loans to the Chinese former owners of British Steel after it was nationalised earlier this year. British Steel owed just under £1bn to companies connected to its owner Jingye Steel before it was taken into public ownership in an emergency [...]
No 10 backs ‘vertical drinking’ in Soho pubs August 7, 2026 Downing Street has waded into the debate over so-called “vertical drinking” and called on Westminster City Council to “work with” the industry to maintain the culture of pints outside London pubs. “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs,” [...]
UK debt ‘hits £3 trillion’ milestone August 6, 2026 The size of the UK’s national debt has now risen above £3 trillion, analysis has suggested, reflecting the burden facing taxpayers across the country. A tracker by a rightwing campaign group and think tank has suggested that national debt had reached the long-awaited milestone after an explosion in spending since 2020. The Taxpayers’ Alliance based [...]
Serco chief hits back at New Statesman’s outsourcing jibes August 6, 2026 Serco’s boss has hit back at media criticism in the New Statesman and other outlets as the under-scrutiny firm boosted its sales and eyed more contract wins. The London-listed firm, which is one of Britain’s largest outsourcing companies running everything from bin collections to asylum accommodation, said it remained committed to bidding for contracts in [...]
‘Social value’ procurement rules are an absurd waste of time and money August 6, 2026 Procurement is not a sexy topic, but stay with me here. The public sector spends around £400bn a year buying goods and services from the private sector. You can imagine the scale: NHS equipment and Ministry of Defence gear, police cars and IT infrastructure, immigration processing centres, security guards, construction projects and fax machines. It’s [...]
Russian propaganda website hit with record ‘pink slime’ payout at High Court August 6, 2026 An Uzbek businessman has been awarded £105,000 in damages and £117,663.38 in legal costs after winning a defamation suit against a UK publishing network – the largest publicly reported payout in a so-called ‘pink slime’ case. A City AM investigation into British publisher 2Trom was presented as evidence in the High Court case after we [...]