Why Labour can’t kick Whitehall’s consultancy habit September 9, 2026 Since coming to power, Labour has been vocal about cutting spending on external consultants to save taxpayers money. However, data suggests it has actually moved in the opposite direction, as the private sector shows it is a necessity and not a luxury, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The pledge to cut back on external consultants was first [...]
The Bayeux Tapestry, British Museum review: believe the hype September 8, 2026 The Bayeux Tapestry, British Museum review and star rating: ★★★★ Art history is not always held in the highest regard as an academic discipline, dismissed by one columnist at this newspaper as “a degree for posh girls too thick to do real history”. It stems from a notion that reading books is more demanding than [...]
Are Labour Chancellors really still blaming Liz Truss? September 7, 2026 Healey's first speech as Chancellor parroted the usual Labour lines: the woes of austerity, the joys of the state and, of course, the villainy of Liz Truss.
Burnham has inherited Labour’s EU delusion September 7, 2026 Burnham must accept what Starmer wouldn't: our EU neighbours are just not that into us, writes Eliot Wilson.
Burnham calls for honesty then sticks his head in the sand September 3, 2026 Andy Burnham declared this week that “change begins with honesty.” My ears pricked up. Was our new Prime Minister about to deliver some hard truths? Of course he wasn’t. The honesty Burnham had in mind was very much “his truth” rather than “the truth.” We were told that all the country’s problems were down to [...]
A Gulf Trade Agreement could accelerate UK data centre development September 2, 2026 A newly inked trade agreement between the UK and Gulf region offers tantalizing potential for collaboration as the race to build data centres heats up. Data centres, like Amazon warehouses before them, are simultaneously springing up everywhere, vital to current consumer and business trends, and wildly unpopular with the public. But despite these objections, the [...]
As Sir Keir Starmer quits parliament, will Zack Polanski replace him? September 1, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer is set to resign as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras in order to focus on work in defence and international affairs. The former Prime Minister told the Camden New Journal that he would focus on issues such as “defence, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world” after leaving parliament. [...]
‘They want business on board’: How Reform UK is wooing City chiefs at its conference September 1, 2026 Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is on a mission to win over businesses before the next election. Maurício Alencar and Ali Lyon report on how the party’s upcoming conference in Birmingham could determine its political future. By the time Britain’s executives descend on the Reform UK party conference this week, many will already be well-acquainted with [...]
FCA bans wealth manager trio behind £35.5m investor visa scam August 26, 2026 The financial watchdog has banned and fined a trio of former wealth managers after discovering they operated a scheme designed to help clients slip past UK investor visa rules. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that three Dolfin Financial executives had run a scheme designed to create the false impression that visa requirements to enter [...]
‘We’d love an apprentice – but the government has made it too expensive’ August 26, 2026 Small companies around Britain are facing a cost of business crisis. Bowers & Jones, an award-winning manufacturing firm, tells City AM that changes to the minimum wage have priced it out of employing apprentices. When Jane Somerville led a management buyout of her manufacturing firm and shifted its entire factory across the West Midlands in [...]