Strikes have no place in a competitive market economy April 23, 2026 There is no reason why Tube drivers on objectively high incomes with working conditions many would kill for are able to force their employers to ask of them even fewer hours and even more pay – and the employers are forbidden by the state from simply hiring other people, says Tom Harwood I’m just going [...]
Robert Dyas losses double as Dragons Den star eyes turnaround April 23, 2026 Robert Dyas saw its loss double last year as Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis attempts to reverse the fortunes of the struggling hardware retailer. The company’s pre-tax loss widened to £4.7m last year, more than double its previous £2.3m setback, according to previously unreported Companies House filings. Former Dragons Den magnate Theo Paphitis announced last [...]
How to experience Harry Styles’ Rome, from cool neighbourhoods to flea markets April 23, 2026 Why has Harry Styles fallen so deeply for the Italian capital? Amélie Outters checks out his favourite spots Near Campo de’ Fiori, inside a small Roman café, the queue moves slowly. The staff gruffly mumble orders in rapid Italian while customers lean over the glass counter, pointing at pizza sold by the centimetre and paid [...]
How bakers became the rock stars of London’s post-booze era April 22, 2026 Bakers have developed the clout of mixologists, finds Adam Bloodworth Anna Higham finds it extremely stressful when a queue forms outside her Quince bakery in Islington. She feels that, by definition, a line means she can’t give her best service, but she acknowledges that for many of the capital’s bakery touring elite, the absence of [...]
Peer pressure: Starmer admits former aide was considered for diplomatic role April 22, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has admitted that he considered appointing Lord Matthew Doyle for an ambassadorial role without the foreign secretary knowing, amid growing questions over the Prime Minister’s judgment in key decisions. The Prime Minister appeared to accept that Doyle, who recently had the Labour whip removed following revelations about his relationship with a sex [...]
Starmer won’t recover from the toxic Mandelson scandal April 22, 2026 Think back to the election campaign of 2024 and you’ll recall that Sir Keir Starmer’s pitch for power wasn’t based on very much. His offer to the electorate was built almost entirely on the well-worn ‘time for change’ argument that opposition politicians across the world cling to when the incumbent has clearly run out of [...]
Can Primark go it alone after ABF split? April 22, 2026 FTSE 100 giant Associated British Foods ended months of rumour when it announced its demerger from Primark. Felix Armstrong explores how the budget clothes retailer will fare on its own. Walk into Oxford Street’s Primark, battle through the tightly packed rows of cut-price clothing, and your eyes will seize on the bright blue lights of [...]
Mike Ashley appeal case confronts ‘unjust’ trademark claims April 21, 2026 Billionaire businessman Mike Ashley‘s company, Sports Direct, is back before the court today as it seeks to challenge damages awarded in a trademark infringement claim. The appeal follows a long-running dispute between Sports Direct and the Beverly Hills Polo Club brand, owned and managed by Lifestyle Equities, which claimed Sports Direct had infringed its trademark through products [...]
Robbins: Starmer’s team was ‘dismissive’ about Mandelson vetting April 21, 2026 Former Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Olly Robbins has criticised Number 10’s “dismissive attitude” to security vetting for Lord Peter Mandelson, who accessed classified files before Robbins, who was recently sacked from his key civil service post, told the Foreign Affairs Committee that there was “constant pressure” on the Foreign Office to give Mandelson clearance [...]
The mysterious media moguls behind London’s pink slime propaganda machine April 21, 2026 Private jets, council estates and links to the Kremlin: Steve Dinneen goes looking for the owners of a pink slime propaganda machine Standing outside a squat, residential tower block on the outskirts of Harlow on a grey winter afternoon, it seems hard to believe this is the headquarters of a media organisation with links to [...]