‘We’re turning the country around’: U-turns put pressure on defiant Starmer January 14, 2026 Keir Starmer attempted to justify a string of policy U-turns on everything from business rates to the mandatory digital ID, claiming the Labour government was “turning the country around”. In an awkward Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, opposition leader Kemi Badenoch grilled Starmer on recent U-turns, which prove tricky for MPs and strategists to explain [...]
Netflix flashes the cash to end Hollywood’s bidding war January 14, 2026 Netfix is reportedly readying an all-cash offensive to secure its long-awaited $83bn takeover of Warner Bros, in a move set to kill off a persistent hostile bid from rival Paramount Skydance. The Los Gatos streaming giant is set to snub the cash and stock bid in favour of a simpler, hard-currency deal, as it aims [...]
Reeves confirms ‘temporary support’ for pubs amid row over misleading claims January 14, 2026 Rachel Reeves has confirmed “temporary support” for pubs in a climbdown over the business rates row, as a chief tax official claimed the Treasury was warned about the damaging impact of tax reforms after ministers claimed they had been in the dark about the changes. The Chancellor confirmed on Wednesday that she will roll out [...]
Could Kemi Badenoch be our next Prime Minister? January 14, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has several critical personal talents that are not easily replicated, and the polls are starting to move in her favour, says George Trefgarne Something astonishing is happening in British politics. Bedevilled by an entire generation of dud politicians, including now Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, we suddenly find that a [...]
Why socialist lawyers are coming for your Percy Pigs January 14, 2026 A leftie lawfirm with a history of employing Labour MPs is drumming up a class action lawsuit that could cripple M&S following a devastating cyber attack, says James Price Despite long, painful memories of being dragged by my mum around the clothes section and made to wait outside the changing room, Marks and Spencer is [...]
Mayfair-based The Arts Club plunges to £4m loss after wellness venture sours January 14, 2026 One of the swankiest private members clubs in central London has bemoaned a “challenging economic backdrop” after it suffered a loss of nearly £4m. Mayfair-based The Arts Club, which was founded in the 1860s by Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope and has been frequented by the likes of Beyoncé, Jessie J and Pippa Middleton, incurred [...]
EU banking rules could ‘choke investment’ from booming City January 14, 2026 The European Union threatens derailing its economic growth through changes to banking regulation after London beefed up its lending capacity following a Brexit boom. The 27-state bloc is set to bring in new legislation which will effectively ban non-EU banks from providing core banking services – such as lending and taking deposits – without establishing [...]
How Exclusive Collection’s Danny Pecorelli built the top luxury corporate hotel group in the land January 13, 2026 As managing director of Exclusive Collection, Danny Pecorelli oversees one of the country’s most distinctive luxury hotel groups, with a portfolio that spans country house hotels, a gastro pub, destination spas, Michelin-starred dining, golf, cookery schools and some of the most sought-after corporate meeting spaces in the UK. Born into the business his father founded [...]
Immigration law firm put up for sale on insolvency market amid visa crackdown January 13, 2026 A London law firm specialising in immigration services has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace in an early sign the government’s crackdown on visas has sparked a slump in applications. Woolwich-based A Vincent Solicitors, which employs more than two dozen staff and has a second office in Manchester, offered multi-lingual support services [...]
Stride vows to protect OBR in new dividing line with Farage January 12, 2026 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has vowed to protect the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in any future Conservative government, drawing a dividing line with Reform’s Nigel Farage on approaches to controlling public finances. Stride is expected to re-establish the Conservative Party’s firm commitment to maintaining the fiscal watchdog as an independent body scoring the effects [...]