Retail giants warn Reeves her tax plans risk UK living standards August 21, 2025 Tesco, Sainsbury’s and John Lewis, along with other UK retail heavyweights, have issued a direct warning to chancellor Rachel Reeves, arguing that her government’s tax policies could undermine its key promise to raise living standards. The retailers claim they are being forced to raise prices in the face of mounting costs, and that additional taxes [...]
Forest hikes e-bike prices amid fragmented London market August 20, 2025 Forest, the e-bike operator recently licensed by Hounslow Council, has announced it is raising its “pay as you go” service fee by 50 per cent to £1.50, citing a doubling of the fees charged by London boroughs to operate. The price hike comes just weeks after City AM revealed that Hounslow Council awarded a lucrative [...]
Should we be worried about Instagram’s map feature? August 20, 2025 Instagram’s new location-sharing feature, dubbed ‘Instagram Map’, has been rolled out to 170m users, but a journey through the platform reveals a perplexing reality: it’s a digital ghost town. While Instagram’s parent, Meta, has billed the feature as a “new, light way to connect”, many users are finding themselves alone on the map, prompting a [...]
Brits call for VPN ban for minors to curb Online Safety Act loopholes August 20, 2025 A majority of Britons believe children under 18 should be banned from using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) following a recent surge, a survey has found. Research from YouGov found that 55 per cent of the public supports a ban for minors, while only 20 per cent think they should be allowed to use them. This [...]
Is Perplexity’s $34.5bn bid for Google Chrome strictly a power move? August 17, 2025 Artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited $34.5bn (£25.4bn) all-cash offer for Google’s Chrome browser, in a move that some analysts say is as much about signalling intent as it is about striking a deal. The San Francisco-based company revealed the bid on Tuesday, reported Reuters, claiming it had secured backing from several [...]
Peter Kyle defends UK free speech record after US report attacks Online Safety Act August 14, 2025 Tech secretary Peter Kyle has pushed back against a damning US government report accusing the UK of backsliding on human rights and curbing freedom of expression under Labour. The annual State Department dossier, published on Tuesday, warned that Britain’s human rights record had “worsened during the year” amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, and [...]
Here are five British tech startups to look out for August 14, 2025 A new cohort of Future Fifty tech firms is demonstrating exponential growth and attracting significant investment, reinforcing London’s position as a hub for dynamic scale-ups in this space. These companies are making headlines across diverse sectors, from AI to environmental technology. The talent is emerging from UK universities, but the challenge for these firms is [...]
Rank Group: Grosvenor casino owner posts strong profit as UK gambling reforms boost outlook August 14, 2025 Grosvenor casino owner Rank Group has posted a sharp jump in profit on the back of double-digit growth across its venues and online arm, with fresh government gambling reforms set to boost future earnings. For the year to 30th June 2025, like-for-like net gaming revenue climbed 11 per cent to £795.3m, while underlying operating profit [...]
US giant Anthropic poaches British AI firm founders in OpenAI rivalry August 13, 2025 Anthropic has hired the three cofounders of London-based AI startup HumanLoop, along with most of its engineering and research staff, in its latest move to bolster AI talent in Europe. As Sifted reported on Tuesday, the hires include chief executive Raza Habib, chief tech officer Peter Hayes and chief product officer Jordan Burgess, all of [...]
Facial recognition vans rolled out across England in crime crackdown August 13, 2025 An additional seven police forces in England will be using ten new live facial recognition (LFR) vans to track suspects wanted for serious crimes, including sexual offences, violent assaults, and homicides. The rollout, announced by the Home Office, will see Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire police share the vehicles. [...]
