The mysterious media moguls behind London’s pink slime propaganda machine April 21, 2026 Private jets, council estates and links to the Kremlin: Steve Dinneen goes looking for the owners of a pink slime propaganda machine Standing outside a squat, residential tower block on the outskirts of Harlow on a grey winter afternoon, it seems hard to believe this is the headquarters of a media organisation with links to [...]
Job vacancies fall to lowest level in five years April 21, 2026 The UK jobs market took a turn for the worst as job vacancies fell to their lowest level in nearly five years, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of vacancies fell by an estimate of 29,000 in the three months to March. It is the lowest level of [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks flat as Trump’s deadline looms; Job vacancies shrink; Primark gets spin-off April 21, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. New unemployment figures this morning have showed an unexpected twist where the joblessness rate slipped under the five per cent mark. But this was accompanied by a blow to the market with the number of vacancies fell by an estimate of 29,000 in the three [...]
‘It beggars belief’: Starmer insists he was not told about Mandelson’s vetting fail April 20, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he was not told that Lord Peter Mandelson failed a security vetting before telling MPs that “due process” around his appointment as US ambassador was followed. Starmer told MPs on Monday that he asked Whitehall officials to review whether due process was followed last September on whether the security vetting [...]
Top civil servant calls on lawyers advice over Mandelson vetting dismissal April 20, 2026 Sir Olly Robbins, who is set to answer MPs’ questions over Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment, is reportedly taking legal advice after he was ousted over the vetting scandal. Last week, Robbins, the Foreign Office permanent under-secretary, was dismissed after it emerged that the disgraced Mandelson had been denied clearance in a security vetting process. Mandelson [...]
‘Disgraceful’: Khan and RMT in tube strike deadlock ahead of disruption April 20, 2026 Sadiq Khan and Transport for London are at loggerheads with a major transport union, with tube strikes all but confirmed to take place between Tuesday and Friday this week. Talks between representatives ahead of strikes beginning at 12pm on Tuesday 21 April are at an impasse, with union leaders blaming TfL bosses for failing to [...]
Rachel Reeves to meet Lloyds and Natwest chiefs over Iran war April 20, 2026 Rachel Reeves has called in the bosses of Britain’s top banks for a summit this week to discuss the economic impact of the war in Iran. The Chancellor has invited executives from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest, Santander UK as well as the UK’s biggest building society Nationwide for a meeting this Wednesday. The meeting – as [...]
‘Thrown under the bus’: Robbins to defend himself over Mandelson vetting April 18, 2026 Sir Olly Robbins is set to mount a defence of his decision to approve Mandelson’s appointment to Washington after allies accused Starmer of scapegoating him and throwing him “under the bus”. The prime minister sacked the head of the Foreign Office on Thursday night before accusing him of an “unforgivable” failure to warn him that [...]
Tankers report being fired upon as Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz again April 18, 2026 Merchant vessels have said they were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz, the first indication that Iran’s re-closure of the waterway has been enforced. Iran’s military reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz again after accusing the US of violating the deal to reopen it, throwing the world’s energy [...]
City of London urges action on Swiss border as EES holds up business travellers April 17, 2026 City of London officials are pressing Switzerland to allow UK travellers to use automated passport gates to end the long airport queues that have become a regular gripe for business travellers. The new EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which covers the Schengen area, rolled out last week, and it has resulted in lengthy queues at airports [...]