Badenoch: Welfare ‘fudge’ driven by ‘panic not principle’ July 1, 2025 Kemi Badenoch has branded Labour’s welfare reforms a “fudge” that will fail to curb the government’s spiralling welfare bill on health and disability benefits. MPs are set to vote on work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall’s welfare bill aimed at getting more inactive Brits back into the national workforce by changing eligibility for personal independence [...]
Trump threatens to deport Elon Musk amid spending bill feud July 1, 2025 President Donald Trump has escalated his public feud with Elon Musk, suggesting the country’s immigration enforcement system could be turned against the Tesla and Space X chief. This was triggered by Musk’s renewed attacks on the Republican-backed tax and spending ‘one big beautiful bill’ currently under Senate debate. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday while heading [...]
National Wealth Fund boss calls for public finance consolidation July 1, 2025 The boss of Labour’s National Wealth Fund has urged the government to remain open to consolidation of public finance institutions in a bid to ease confusion for the private sector. In a hearing on Tuesday, the chief executive of the National Wealth Fund (NWF) John Flint told MPs he would “encourage” the Treasury “not to [...]
Aviva’s £3.7bn takeover of Direct Line approved by UK watchdog July 1, 2025 Aviva’s acquisition of smaller insurance peer Direct Line has been approved by the competitions watchdog, paving the way for the formation of Britain’s biggest home and motor insurer. The £3.7bn takeover will not be subject to a phase-two investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday, after a preliminary probe to assess whether [...]
Major workers’ rights changes delayed in bid to win over business July 1, 2025 Controversial plans to hand new employees a glut of additional rights from day one and make flexible working the default will not be implemented until 2027, the government has said, after a deluge of warnings from industry that the measures would stifle firms’ ability to hire and invest. As part of the long-awaited roadmap for [...]
M&S to be fully operational by August after heavy cyber attack, boss says July 1, 2025 Marks and Spencer boss Stuart Machin has said he expects the worst of the retailer’s cyber attack to be over within the next four weeks. M&S has been struggling with the attack since April, with some systems still offline – including click and collect services. The retailer’s share price climbed slightly in response, up 0.62 [...]
Premier League kicks off AI era with five-year Microsoft deal July 1, 2025 The Premier League has inked a five-year deal with Microsoft to overhaul how fans engage with the game. But the tie-up also tightens Big Tech’s grip on British sport, reigniting scrutiny over data use and monetisation. Under the agreement, Microsoft will become the League’s official cloud and AI partner, with its Copilot technology powering a [...]
How to solve the UK’s non-dom conundrum July 1, 2025 After industry experts poured cold water on Reform’s ‘Britannia Card’, and amid rumours the Chancellor is examining options to row back on elements of her non-dom reforms, Ali Lyon asks what policies might be on the table – and whether they will work. As Nigel Farage stepped up to a mundane-looking podium in a stuffy [...]
Berkeley, Persimmon and Barratt hit by house price slowdown July 1, 2025 Weak growth in UK house prices has hit the shares of the UK leading listed homebuilders, with pundits concerned that a demand for private housing will prevent the government from reaching its ambitious housing goals. Berkeley’s share price has dropped by more than eight per cent in the past month and Persimmon is down four [...]
Hey Siri: Can ChatGPT save Apple’s AI woes? July 1, 2025 After years of insisting it could do AI its own way, Apple is now reconsidering that approach – and the implications could reshape its core product experience. The iPhone maker is in talks with Anthropic and OpenAI about powering a revamped Siri, reported Bloomberg, potentially swapping out its own foundation models for one of their [...]