House prices stay flat in June as Iran war fallout continues to weaken the market July 1, 2026 UK house prices were flat in June as the conflict in the Middle East and looming political uncertainty continue to subdue consumer confidence. The average price fell £540 in June, hitting £277,484. This was a slight drop from £278,024 the prior month where prices fell 0.6 per cent, according to the latest Nationwide house price [...]
The Debate: Should delivery robots be allowed on pavements? July 1, 2026 Are delivery robots a sign of progress or a threat to pedestrians? We hear both cases in this week's Debate.
Businesses confidence slumps as Burnham prepares for power July 1, 2026 Ministers must prioritise delivery over “changes in the machinery of government” if business confidence is to recover, one of Britain’s top lobby groups has said, in a warning to Andy Burnham as he prepares to shake-up Whitehall and shift power to the North of England. In its monthly business confidence survey, the Institute of Directors [...]
Nscale and ElevenLabs power £41bn AI boom as Britain cements unicorn crown July 1, 2026 Britain’s AI sector has more than tripled in value in just a year, with fast-growing firms including Nscale and ElevenLabs now worth a combined £41bn as the UK strengthens its position as Europe’s leading startup hub. New research from the Hurun UK Unicorn Index shows the country’s nine AI unicorns have surged to a combined [...]
City launches new Digital ID framework against AI fraud June 30, 2026 The City of London Corporation has unveiled plans for a new digital identity framework it claims could unlock more than £5bn for the UK economy, as policymakers and the financial sector race to tackle increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled fraud. A blueprint published on Tuesday proposes a “Digital Verification Orchestrator”, or DVO – a system set to [...]
Lloyds accused of debanking left-wing media outlet The Canary June 30, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has been accused of debanking the left-wing news website The Canary in a move that has left the media outlet with “barely any funds”. The bank was slammed by the media firm on Tuesday for allegedly “withholding a substantial amount of our money” and debanking them after nearly a decade of use. [...]
‘Ultrasound cakes’ help fuel sales surge at London-listed Cake Box June 30, 2026 A surge in demand for ‘ultrasound cake’ has helped drive record sales at one of the UK’s biggest bakeries. Cake Box, which operates hundreds of stores across the UK, posted a 9.3 per cent rise in organic turnover to £45.9m for the year to end March as the firm set its sights on opening dozens [...]
UK fintech Monovate posts £8.3m loss as Visa and Mastercard partner dumps European arm June 30, 2026 A key fintech partner of Mastercard and Visa suffered a hit to its bottom line as the business restructured its European operations and counted the costs of a major accounting error. Monovate – which acts as a licensed middle man bridging businesses and payment giants – made a loss of £8.3m in 2025, which was [...]
Sainsbury’s boss urges Burnham to cut energy costs and ‘focus on growth’ June 30, 2026 The boss of Sainsbury’s has urged the next prime minister to address rising energy costs as food inflation continues to concern shoppers. The boss of the UK’s second-largest grocer repeated his earlier calls for the Treasury to engage with the food industry to assist with rising costs following the war in the Middle East. His [...]
Record temperatures boost Sainsbury’s sales but store infrastructure feels the heat June 30, 2026 Sainsbury’s recorded a rise in sales in the first financial quarter, as the May heatwave and a run of public holidays boosted sales but caused its fridges and freezers to break down. Total sales rose 3.1 per cent year on year to £3.1bn, bolstered by a five per cent hike in fresh food purchases, as [...]