Nvidia’s $250m UK AI bet sparks warning over ‘foreign dependence’ October 15, 2026 Nvidia’s $250m investment in the UK’s AI safety research risks deepening the country’s dependence on American tech unless ministers ensure researchers retain control over safety standards, analysts have warned. The world’s most valuable company has pledged $50m a year in computing power over five years to support British research into autonomous AI agents, alongside plans [...]
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy ‘minded to intervene’ in Sky takeover of ITV October 15, 2026 Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is “minded to intervene” in Sky’s proposed £1.6bn takeover of ITV’s media and entertainment arm. In a statement to MPs, she said: “Having considered the anticipated merger, I am of the view that there are reasonable grounds to believe that it might affect availability of a wide range of high-quality and [...]
Healey’s £1bn London office raid would be ‘attack on growth’ October 15, 2026 John Healey’s potential £1bn raid on London offices would be an “attack on growth” and deal a huge blow to the City, property firms have warned. The Chancellor is weighing up an increase to business rates for expensive office blocks and skyscrapers which would raise £1bn for the Treasury but disproportionately hit the capital’s business [...]
Midday Markets: Is the UK economy ‘back’? October 15, 2026 The Midday Market report is a new newsletter from City AM, giving you fresh analysis on the biggest stories in the City straight into your inbox every lunchtime. Today, Ali Lyon, assesses whether August’s positive GDP figures are a sign of a revival in the UK economy. Sign up to the City AM News Updates [...]
Lidl eyes Poundland bargain as sale of discount retailer ramps up October 15, 2026 Discount supermarket Lidl has tabled a bid for a single Poundland shop in the hope of scooping up more stores if the retailer is broken up, City AM has learned. The German grocery chain has put in an offer to Gordon Brothers, which owns the retailer, in which it would initially buy one store if [...]
Labour will ‘live to regret’ scrapping triple lock, shadow pension minister warns October 15, 2026 The shadow pensions minister has warned Andy Burnham that he will “live to regret” scrapping the triple lock on the state pension to pay for his new National Care Service. Speaking at the annual Pensions UK conference on Wednesday, Helen Whately argued Burnham has created a new financial challenge through his commitment to drop the [...]
Big Four scoop £1.5bn in government contracts despite Labour’s pledge to cut spend October 15, 2026 The Big Four have collectively secured over £1.5bn in public contracts so far this year despite the UK government’s pledge to cut spending on external consultants to save taxpayers’ money. An investigation by market intelligence platform Tussell found the government has awarded KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC over £1.5bn in contracts so far in 2026, [...]
ClearBank CEO: If there’s a fire, run towards it October 15, 2026 Mark Fairless, CEO at ClearBank Group, takes us through his career, from Tesco to fintech, in today's Square Mile and Me.
Starling warns UK risks being ‘second in the queue’ on AI October 15, 2026 Britain risks becoming “second in the queue” for AI unless it invests more in domestic infrastructure, a government AI adviser has warned, as Starling Bank becomes the first lender to train an AI model on a UK sovereign cloud. Harriet Rees, Starling’s chief information officer and the Treasury’s AI champion for financial services, warned that [...]
Healey promises Budget will ‘meet the moment’ October 15, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has promised that the Budget will “meet the moment” as rising costs are set to hamper households and businesses over the next few months. In interviews in Bangkok for the International Monetary Fund’s meetings, Healey said he had acted from “week one” to relieve pressures facing businesses and households with a blitz [...]