Government to lower voting age to 16 and tighten donation rules July 17, 2025 The government will lower the voting age to 16 at the next election and tighten checks on political donations in sweeping reforms aimed at “restoring trust” in democracy and elections. In democratic changes led by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the government said it would tighten rules on foreign donations to political parties, which it [...]
John Caudwell: Bezos gives billionaires a bad name July 8, 2025 If you ever want to feel like you don’t quite do enough with your time, speak to John Caudwell. We are approaching the culmination of a wide-ranging interview, and the billionaire founder of Phones 4u – and a man hoping to build London’s most expensive housing development ever – runs through his terrifyingly busy schedule [...]
Tesla shares slide after Musk plots new political party in latest Trump snub July 7, 2025 Tesla has once again lost its status as a trillion-dollar company after the EV-maker’s stock slid on Monday on the back of CEO Elon Musk’s plans to launch a new US political party. Shares in the Nasdaq-listed business fell as much as 7.5 per cent in the opening minutes of trade in New York, giving [...]
British banking chiefs take a leaf from Elon Musk’s DOGE July 4, 2025 The chiefs of the UK’s Big Four banks are taking a leaf out of the Elon Musk playbook in their strident bid to slash costs. Natwest’s Paul Thwaite, Lloyds’ Charlie Nunn, HSBC’s Georges Elhedery and Barclays’ CS Venkatkrishnan are in the midst of major cost-cutting endeavours that bear similarities to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency [...]
Markets are ignoring global instability – but a reckoning looms July 3, 2025 Despite simmering political crises and looming economic risks, markets are riding a low-volatility sugar high – fuelled by central bank interventions – but the longer reality is ignored, the sharper the eventual correction, says Helen Thomas With markets taking an early summer holiday, basking in the glow of record highs for the S&P500, it can [...]
Be careful Trump. Deporting Elon Musk would hand space travel to China July 2, 2025 Without Musk's SpaceX, the US would be second place to China. If Trump deports Elon Musk, he'll set US space travel back decades.
Britain doesn’t need government efficiency, it needs excellence July 2, 2025 Elon Musk’s Doge assumed that cheaper government was better government. that’s the wrong way round: a better run government is a cheaper government, says Andrew Greenway Democracies around the world are facing a big problem. They don’t deliver well enough. In Britain, we have a housing crisis, a fraying health service and the interminable sagas [...]
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 [...]
The professional sceptics debunking conspiracy theories June 27, 2025 Michael Marshall is Britain’s only full-time, paid sceptic. He attends flat earth conferences, distributes flyers outside psychic shows and lurks in anti-vax Telegram groups, all to promote critical thinking over pseudoscience and damaging conspiracy theories. “Any of us could, at our worst, find ourselves in an emotional hole where our reason is compromised,” he says. [...]
Profit almost doubles at Elon Musk’s Starlink as sales surge June 24, 2025 Turnover at Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet constellation, spiked in the UK as its profit almost doubled in 2024, it has been revealed. New accounts filed with Companies House show that Starlink’s turnover increased from £2.5m to £4.2m during its latest financial year. Starlink’s pre-tax profit also rose from £121,166 to £203,456. A statement signed [...]