Deutsche Bank hit with six-figure fine in UK for breaching Russia sanctions May 19, 2026 Deutsche Bank has been slapped with a six-figure fine by the Treasury’s financial sanctions body for processing payments that breached sanctions on Russia. The German multinational investment bank has been handed a £160,000 fine after it was found to have authorised two payments linked to a sanctioned Russian firm between the periods of June and [...]
City analysts brand SNP food price cap ‘hair brained’ May 19, 2026 Top city analysts have slammed the SNP’s pledge to cap food prices as “hair brained,” as the party’s leader refuses to walk back from the policy. City broker Shore Capital said the SNP’s proposals to cap the prices of some foods would risk diminishing choice, hampering investment in Scotland’s food industry and could even threaten [...]
Starmer prepares for leadership battle as Streeting declares UK must rejoin EU May 16, 2026 Prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to approve an £18bn increase in defence spending, as he prepares to battle for his political survival. Senior defence insiders said the investment would enable the armed forces to modernise and prepare to fight a future war. According to reports in The Times, national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, has [...]
Banning Russia but not Israel shows Eurovision has lost its moral compass May 15, 2026 Banning Russia from Eurovision was easy because it had near-universal Western consensus behind it. But is that is the precedent then it must be applied equally to Israel, says Pablo O’Hana There’s a particular kind of grief in cancelling something you love. After 14 years of hosting what I can only describe as genuinely joyful [...]
Rich List reveals scale of wealth exodus from Britain May 15, 2026 Revolut chief executive Nik Storonsky and quant house luminary Alex Gerko have both featured in the top 10 of The Sunday Times Rich List for the first time, in a year its author warned laid bare the scale of Britain’s wealth exodus. As many as one in six of the individuals and families who appeared [...]
Why Uzbekistan is the pick of the Silk Road, with amazing food and design May 15, 2026 The Silk Road is calling. You no longer need a Bactrian camel, and with a fair wind, you can fly from London to Tashkent in the same time it would take you to travel by train to Penzance or Glasgow. For the first time in history, Uzbekistan is a viable destination for a long weekend. [...]
IEA warns of ‘record’ oil drawdown after ‘unprecedented’ Strait of Hormuz supply shock May 13, 2026 The West’s international energy watchdog has warned that oil stockpiles were being drained at a record rate last month as the US’s war in Iran continues to choke supply in an “unprecedented” supply shock. The International Energy Agency revealed that around 4m barrels of oil a day were tapped from back-up supplies in April, within [...]
Drill baby brill: Why the UK must develop it’s North Sea oil fields May 8, 2026 In light of international crises like the war in Iran and the resulting energy price spikes, the UK’s fundamental energy vulnerability – its dependence on a volatile international market – can be solved by immediately approving further drilling in the North Sea, says Brandon Lewis Moments of crisis have a clarifying power that peacetime politics [...]
This accidental Finnish defence startup can teach the UK some lessons May 7, 2026 The UK is home to some of the world's most significant defence companies, but also its most inefficient procurement systems, writes Eliot Wilson.
UK to join EU Ukraine loan talks in defence push May 3, 2026 The UK is set to begin negotiations to join the European Union’s €90bn (£78bn) loan scheme for Ukraine, as Keir Starmer steps up efforts to deepen defence cooperation with European allies. Speaking ahead of a summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Yerevan, Armenia, the prime minister is expected to signal Britain’s intention to [...]