AI minister updates guidance after ‘don’t thank ChatGPT’ advice to civil servants Tech Britain’s AI minister has ordered changes to government guidance that urged civil servants to limit their use of AI, saying it failed to reflect ministers’ ambitions to ramp up adoption across Whitehall. Kanishka Narayan said guidance published last week had now been updated after it advised government workers to use AI only when necessary, choose [...]
UK house prices fall at fastest rate since May as mortgage rates weigh on demand Property UK house prices fell at their fastest pace since May as expensive mortgages and uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget fuelled caution among buyers. Prices fell 0.2 per cent during September, faster than economists had expected and reversing August’s 0.2 per cent increase, according to data from Nationwide. The average UK home was valued at [...]
AI voice firm Elevenlabs hits $22bn valuation in fresh boost for UK tech Tech London-based ElevenLabs has hit a $22bn (£16bn) valuation after completing a $300m employee share sale, marking another sharp jump in value for one of Britain’s fastest-growing AI firms. The voice AI group’s valuation has doubled since its $11bn Series D in February, when it raised $500m, and is now more than 2,000 times the $9m [...]
Lisa Nandy admits ‘problem’ with Ofcom enforcement of online safety rules September 30, 2026 Lisa Nandy has admitted there is “a problem” with Ofcom’s ability to enforce online safety rules as she signalled further regulation of tech firms beyond the government’s under-16 social media ban. “Laws are only as good as the ability to enforce them”, the culture secretary said, as she called for a more active role for [...]
MI5 warns UK academics have been aiding Chinese spies September 30, 2026 British academics have been taking part in Chinese-funded research designed to enhance Beijing’s espionage capabilities, according to a dramatic intervention from the UK’s security services. Chinese intelligence tried to “covertly benefit” from British AI and technology research, security minister Dan Jarvis has warned, after MI5 accused a Beijing-linked institute of using UK academics to boost [...]
Burnham grid shake-up offers data centres escape from power queue September 30, 2026 Britain’s data centre developers could be handed a new route around years-long waits for electricity under Andy Burnham’s plan to open up the power grid to competition. The prime minister unveiled Great British Grid (GB Grid) on Tuesday, a publicly owned arm of Great British Energy that will aim to challenge existing network operators and [...]
San Francisco tech firm expands London footprint with new City office September 30, 2026 US design software group Figma has expanded its London headquarters as it looks to double down on its growth in Britain, where firms created more than 15 million files on its platform over the past year. The New York listed tech firm has moved into an office at Elder Yard in Norton Foldgate, near Liverpool [...]
Lime targets commuters with ‘more affordable’ cycle to work scheme September 30, 2026 Lime is making its e-bikes cheaper for workers through the Cycle to Work scheme as the ubiquitous green operator steps up its push for a bigger wedge of London’s daily commute. Workers will be able to pay for an annual Lime subscription through salary sacrifice, cutting the cost by as much as 47 per cent [...]
End the non-competes! Tech bosses warn ‘unfair’ rules are choking UK growth September 29, 2026 Some of Britain’s leading tech founders have called on the government to tear up “unfair” employment restrictions they say are choking growth and leaving UK startups struggling to compete with Silicon Valley. The bosses of Elevenlabs, Synthesia, Fuse Energy and a string of British AI startups have signed an open letter published on Tuesday demanding [...]
E-bike giants back Khan bid to end London ‘Wild West’ September 29, 2026 London’s leading e-bike operators have backed Sadiq Khan’s bid to end the capital’s regulatory ‘Wild West’ while piling pressure on the government to get a long-awaited city-wide licensing regime into force. Lime, Forest and Voi welcomed new plans to replace London’s borough-by-borough wars with a single framework overseen by Transport for London (TfL), after years [...]
