The best London theatre 2026 from musicals to West End transfers December 30, 2025 One of the great joys of living in London is the abundance of incredible theatre that exists on your doorstep – if you’re not taking advantage, why are you paying the London tax? Here’s a list of the London theatre 2026 we’re most looking forward to, from the biggest blockbuster musicals to the most hotly [...]
Pizza Hut, Poundland and WH Smith: The high street brands that closed stores in 2025 December 29, 2025 A raft of major UK retail and hospitality brands shut down stores across the UK this year, with other high street mainstays closing their doors for good. It came amid a backdrop of pressure on consumer finances, rising inflation for most of the year and increased costs for businesses. As a result, numerous businesses launched [...]
Trump: Ukraine peace deal ‘closer than ever before’ December 29, 2025 Donald Trump said talks to secure a US-backed peace deal for Ukraine are “closer than ever before” after he met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida. But the two leaders acknowledged there are still “thorny issues” remaining. Mr Trump, the US president, has said talks on a security guarantee – a key plank of [...]
Who still gets hired in the 2026 workplace? December 28, 2025 Britain’s labour market has probably never felt more precarious than it does now, as the struggling economy and the rapid rise of AI take effect. Redundancies are at their highest since the pandemic, unemployment has risen to 5.1 per cent, and entry-level opportunities, the traditional stepping stones for grads and young workers, have all but [...]
Starmer’s future hinges on May election reckoning, polling expert says December 27, 2025 The future of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership hinges on the forthcoming May elections where the Labour party is expected to take a bruising, a polling expert has said. Conservative peer Lord Robert Hayward said: “A few months ago it looked as if May 7 would be decisive for the leaderships of both Labour and Conservatives. [...]
I read 100 books in 2 years. Here’s what I learnt. December 24, 2025 As I write this, I am in the final days of the longest reading marathon of my life. In January last year, I set a challenge to read 52 books in as many weeks. Having (just) completed my goal, I set another to read 48 this year, to finish at 100 (journalists like round numbers). [...]
The great high street outage of 2025 December 24, 2025 On paper, British high streets have seen worse. Footfall has survived recessions, pandemics and price shocks before, and tills were just about still ringing. But this year it flickered, stalled and, in some cases, went dark – brought to its knees by a wave of cyber attacks that exposed the fragility of retail in the [...]
Regulators show their teeth – financial services fines in 2025 December 24, 2025 UK watchdogs sharpened their sword in 2025 and slapped a handful of financial services firms with hefty fines and a thorough dressing down. In just under a week alone in July, the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England handed out £74.9m worth of fines to a trio of financial services giants. But it was [...]
Is it time to invest in Asia in 2026? December 23, 2025 Over the last few months, investors and portfolio managers have taken renewed interest in Asia amid fears of an AI crash, seeking to diversify away from the highly concentrated Nasdaq, home to the Magnificent Seven stocks. With a large number of analysts remaining bullish on AI’s prospects for the next financial year, citing the sector’s [...]
Tears, scandal, c*ck-ups and conspiracy: Westminster’s worst moments of 2025 December 23, 2025 Westminster never disappoints. When Keir Starmer came into Downing Street, he promised that politics would “tread more lightly” on the lives of everyday people. He was likely referring to the farce of Partygate, leadership battles and political blunders under successive Tory governments. But Labour have got caught up in less than pleasant situations of their [...]