HSBC targets $100m in savings with Google Cloud AI tie-up June 17, 2026 Europe’s biggest lender HSBC has sealed a a tech tie-up with Google where it aims to use AI to scout priority projects that could bank the firm $100m in “efficiency gains”. The FTSE 100 giant is planning to roll out Google Cloud across its operations in a deal that the bank says will allow 200 [...]
Starmer: I would make Andy Burnham a Cabinet minister June 17, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he would offer Andy Burnham a “big role in government” if he is elected as an MP in the Makerfield by-election this week. The Prime Minister indicated that the current Manchester mayor would be given a Cabinet role as he said he had “spoken to him many times in recent [...]
Healey condemns Reeves: ‘Our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury’ June 16, 2026 John Healey has delivered a stinging criticism of Rachel Reeves’ handling of defence spending, warning that the UK’s enemies “do not follow timetables set by the Treasury”. In his resignation speech in parliament, the former defence secretary took aim at Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves for failing to fully fund the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), [...]
Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban June 16, 2026 Elon Musk, Meta and Google’s YouTube have all attacked Keir Starmer’s planned social media ban for under-16s, warning the restrictions will drive teenagers towards less safe corners of the internet and create sweeping new surveillance powers. The backlash comes as ministers consider forcing Apple and Google to carry out age checks on millions of British [...]
Lyft bets black cabs and robotaxis can share London’s streets June 16, 2026 Lyft is preparing to bring Chinese robotaxis to London and believes autonomous vehicles will grow the capital’s transport market rather than replace its drivers. The Uber rival has claimed the arrival of self-driving vehicles would create a “hybrid network” of robotaxis and human drivers, as the American mobility giant expands its presence across Britain through [...]
Streeting attacks Burnham’s pledges as ‘appeal to party at expense of Brits’ June 16, 2026 Former health secretary Wes Streeting levelled a series of thinly-veiled attacks against Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, ahead of a crucial by-election that will likely set a Labour leadership contest in motion. In a speech in Tower Bridge in London, Streeting appeared to criticise Burnham’s political campaign in Makerfield in the weeks leading up to polling [...]
Trump to reject UK plea over Anthropic ban as AI ‘kill switch’ fears grow June 16, 2026 The White House is poised to reject Keir Starmer’s attempt to restore British access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, in a move that has exposed how dependent the UK has become on a handful of American Big Techs. Downing Street has spent recent days lobbying Washington for an exemption after the Trump administration blocked [...]
Boots moves closer to London float but billionaire Westons circle June 16, 2026 With one potential suitor out of the running, high street titan Boots is moving closer to a London float, a move that would mark a return to the FTSE 100 for one of the UK’s biggest retailers and deliver a major boost to UK capital markets. The 177-year-old British pharmacy saw the withdrawal of Sigma [...]
Badenoch: City’s risk culture should be ‘championed’ to boost UK growth June 16, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the role of the City of London would be one of her central levers for driving economic growth, whilst suggesting that financial regulators have buckled to pressure from media and political leaders in recent years. In an address to City financiers, Badenoch will argue that the Square Mile [...]
Social media ban may push children to ‘darker corners of the internet,’ lawyers warn June 15, 2026 Sir Kier Starmer’s announcement to ban social media for under-16s on Monday morning may create privacy issues for children and encourage them to use less regulated platforms, legal experts have warned. Speaking at Downing Street on Monday, the Prime Minister said social media platforms are harming children’s wellbeing and making it easier for their mental [...]