Patent cliff fuels Novartis’ $1.5bn swoop for London biotech July 6, 2026 Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has agreed to buy London-based biotech Myricx Bio for up to $1.5bn (£1.1bn) as global drugmakers continue deploying billions into promising biotech firms ahead of an estimated $450bn wave of patent expiries over the next decade. The deal will see Novartis pay $1.1bn upfront, with a further $400m tied to development [...]
ITV says ‘no guarantees’ on jobs after £1.6bn Sky deal July 6, 2026 ITV and Sky executives have said they can make no guarantees on job cuts after the two companies announced a £1.6bn merger on Monday. Employees of ITV have been warned the tie-up between Britain’s two biggest commercial broadcasters could lead to redundancies, and there are “no guarantees” over their jobs. Speaking after the acquisition was [...]
4chan ridicules Ofcom again as watchdog chases unpaid £520k fine July 2, 2026 4chan has again mocked Ofcom after the regulator renewed demands for the controversial image generator to pay its £520,000 Online Safety Act fine, prompting its lawyer to respond with another AI-generated hamster. Preston Byrne, the US lawyer representing 4chan, posted on X on Thursday: “Ofcom wrote. Again. Demanding that 4chan pay its fine. Sent us [...]
Pigment boss: ‘We’re replacing legacy players at the speed of light’ June 24, 2026 Eléonore Crespo, co-founder and chief executive of Pigment, said the company is replacing legacy enterprise software providers “at the speed of light”, as demand for AI-native business planning accelerates across the private sector. The Paris-headquartered platform, which helps companies including Unilever, Siemens, Anthropic and Coca-Cola run financial planning and performance management, is approaching $100m (£75m) [...]
London Tech Week was ‘complacency in conference form’ June 12, 2026 London Tech Week has been accused of masking some of the biggest structural problems facing Britain’s tech sector and of offering “complacency in conference form”. Adam French, partner at global venture capital firm Antler, said the flagship event highlighted a widening gap between the public narrative around UK tech and the realities facing founders trying [...]
Liz Kendall hails ‘Brit-maxxing’ as Labour bets £1.1bn on AI chip race June 9, 2026 Britain must stop listening to the “doubters, doom-mongers and naysayers” and double down on its strengths in AI, Liz Kendall said as she unveiled a £1.1bn package aimed to turn the UK into a global AI hardware powerhouse. Addressing London Tech Week attendees on Tuesday, the tech secretary embraced the conference’s now-familiar “London maxxing” mantra, [...]
‘We’ve got lots of things going for us America doesn’t’: Sadiq Khan on competing with Silicon Valley June 8, 2026 Sadiq Khan has claimed that shifting political dynamics in the US are actively driving tech talent and venture capital to the UK, arguing that London possesses structural and cultural advantages that “America doesn’t” as he seeks to position the capital against Silicon Valley. The Mayor of London announced a new £12m investment programme on Monday [...]
Starmer: Britain must ‘not stick its head in the sand’ on AI June 8, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain must not “stick its head in the sand” on artificial intelligence, with the technology set to fundamentally reshape the UK economy. The Prime Minister used his speech at London Tech Week to unveil a major sovereign computing push, new AI skills programmes and a vision for keeping Britain’s fastest-growing [...]
Labour bets £1.1bn on Britain’s AI chip race June 8, 2026 Keir Starmer’s government has unveiled a £1.1bn package aimed at turning Britain into a global AI hardware powerhouse, with ministers backing domestic chipmakers and pouring capital into training the next generation of engineers. The new AI Hardware Plan, announced at London Tech Week by tech secretary Liz Kendall, includes £750m for a new national AI [...]
Britain’s first sovereign AI model secures blue-chip backing as Starmer unveils £400m plan June 8, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s push to build sovereign British AI capability has won backing from some of the country’s biggest companies, with BT, HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest and BAE Systems joining plans to develop Britain’s first sovereign frontier AI model. British AI startup Cosine unveiled a coalition of major banks, defence contractors and infrastructure firms who had [...]