Burnham adviser slams ‘growth in every postcode’ pledge September 22, 2026 Andy Burnham’s pledge to deliver “growth in every postcode” will result in “wasted taxpayer money and create political problems”, according to one the PM’s most valued economic advisers. Jim O’Neill, who was tipped to take an official role in Burnham’s government, said the Prime Minister should focus on getting gilt yields to fall by 150 [...]
London rakes in record fees from overseas demand for legal services September 22, 2026 London is leading the charge of the British legal sector’s overseas exports which surged by 60 per cent over the past five years, hitting a record of almost £11bn, new data has revealed. According to data from the Law Society, the professional body for 178,000 practising solicitors in England and Wales, London “remains an international [...]
Treating London and Manchester as rivals is absurd September 21, 2026 London's dominance is presented as a whirlpool, greedily sucking in talent from other regions. But London's growth aids Manchester, Birmingham and beyond.
The return of VAT-free shopping will boost Britain’s towns and cities September 21, 2026 Britain has so much to offer. It is no surprise that more than forty million overseas visitors choose to visit our country every year. Walk down Bond Street in London or Princes Street in Edinburgh and you will see visitors from around the world drawn to some of our most iconic retailers. Our high streets [...]
Businesses welcome Tory pledge to restore tax-free shopping September 20, 2026 Top UK business leaders have welcomed Tory plans to bring back tax-free shopping for overseas visitors if they reenter government in a bid to end the tourism shopping slump. The Conservatives said it would restore VAT refunds for eligible visitors from outside the EU after the tax-break was stripped away in 2021 under former chancellor [...]
What London losing athletics to Nairobi tells us about future World Cup and Olympic bids September 20, 2026 England winning a World Cup in our lifetime. This may appear as elusive as ever, but hosting it may be more achievable. Particularly given our stadia, infrastructure and track record for hosting major global events. The signals from Downing Street suggest a similar plan. There’s talk of a potential 2042 World Cup in Great Britain, [...]
Sir James Cleverly: London needs its mojo back September 17, 2026 Council takeovers in Westminster and Wandsworth have offered the Tories a new confidence boost in London. Sir James Cleverly, once close to becoming party leader, speaks to Maurício Alencar about his ambition to lead the Conservatives into the next London mayoral election in 2028. Unprompted, Sir James Cleverly insists it’s “nonsense” that London is a [...]
If Conservatives can win in Enfield then James Cleverly can be Mayor of London September 16, 2026 Conservatives have long been told that London is write-off, but victory in Enfield has proved naysayers wrong. Now we must throw ourselves behind James Cleverly for Mayor, says Alessandro Georgiou Labour had run Enfield for 16 years when voters went to the polls on 7 May. By the end of the next day’s count, we [...]
Reform’s London mayor pick: I want to design London like an iPhone September 16, 2026 Londoners are steadily finding out who will be on the ballot sheet for the next mayoral election in 2028. Mauricio Alencar spoke to Reform UK’s candidate Laila Cunningham about her tunnel-vision approach to getting things done. Laila Cunningham has a simple pitch to Londoners. While, for the moment, it looks like Labour and the Tories [...]
AI firms double London office space as tech boom fuels property demand September 16, 2026 AI firms snapped up more than 700,000 sq ft of London office space in the first half of 2026, more than double the amount taken across the whole of last year as fast-growing tech companies expand their footprint in the capital. AI businesses accounted for as much as a third of central London office take-up [...]