England named most valuable squad at 2026 World Cup, ahead of France and Spain June 10, 2026 No pressure, lads – England have been named the most valuable squad of players at the 2026 World Cup, according to leading football academics. Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man group, featuring stars such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, is valued at €1.454bn (£1.254bn) by the CIES Football Observatory, an independent research centre used by Fifa and [...]
Starmer dodges questions on funding for defence spending June 10, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer dodged several questions over funding for an uplift in defence spending as he appeared to suggest that the full defence investment plan will take weeks to be published. Starmer refused to confirm the publication date for a 10-year blueprint on defence spending as he stuck to a commitment that it would be [...]
Government sets out conditions for unlocking ‘trapped capital’ in defined benefit pension schemes June 10, 2026 The government has published a consultation setting out conditions on freeing ‘trapped’ capital from defined benefit pension schemes, in a bid to keep pace with the rapidly changing pension landscape and free up greater amounts of capital. The consultation, published on Wednesday by the Department of Work and Pensions, set out plans to give trustees [...]
For all their charm, digital banks still leave me tearing my hair out June 10, 2026 I admire London’s digital banks. But three events in the past month have made me realise I’m not parting ways with my high street bank any time soon. The first was dodgy transactions that started showing up on my Revolut account. I was being charged for random TfL tube journeys. I had a feeling this [...]
West Ham sponsor Boyle Sports ‘extremely concerned’ by David Sullivan allegations June 10, 2026 West Ham United sponsor Boyle Sports has expressed its serious concern at the allegations made against the club’s majority owner David Sullivan. Reporting by the BBC and The Times this week focused on claims that Sullivan had exploited his position as a publisher to pressure young women into sexual activity. Sullivan, 77, has strongly denied [...]
Thames Water eyes return to London Stock Exchange while Pennon back in profit June 10, 2026 There was a stark reminder for the City of the risks and rewards on offer to investors in water utilities on Wednesday, from two of the industry’s biggest names. One of them, Thames Water, is eyeing a return to the London Stock Exchange after a disastrous spell in private hands loaded it with debt and [...]
‘Safe’ version of Anthropic’s Mythos model hits market June 10, 2026 Anthropic officially released Claude Fable 5 on Wednesday, allowing the public to access the core architecture of its notorious ‘Mythos’ model for the first time – a technology previously deemed to dangerous for distribution. Fable 5 is being rolled out via Anthropic’s interace, but the launch comes with strict limitations. The San Francisco-based AI titan [...]
Rod Bransgrove: Hampshire saviour hailed by new owners GMR as he steps down June 10, 2026 Hampshire Cricket’s new owners, Indian group GMR, have hailed Rod Bransgrove after the long-serving chairman stepped down in the wake of their full takeover. GMR, which also owns the Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals, this month acquired the final shares in the club as part of a staged £120m buyout agreed in September 2024. [...]
‘AI is not killing all these jobs’: LinkedIn boss on UK hiring slump June 10, 2026 Hiring in the capital is down 32 per cent from January 2019, a steeper fall than in any other region tracked by LinkedIn, as higher interest rates and corporate cost-cutting weigh on firms that dominate London’s labour market. Across the UK, hiring has slowed by 24 per cent on pre-pandemic levels and 10 per cent [...]
Game, Set, Match: How brands can serve up lasting value at Queen’s June 10, 2026 Queen’s is here and the tennis is back. Thom Newton looks at how brands get value out of the grass tennis tournament. Sports fans are relishing a summer that includes a World Cup, alongside the major fixtures of tennis, cricket and athletics. With sport comes the inevitable opportunities for brand sponsorships. However, visibility at events [...]