Mandelson’s Global Counsel has been rocked by its links to Epstein. Will it survive? February 10, 2026 Global Counsel – the lobbying shop co-founded by Peter Mandelson – was once a swashbuckling force in London’s world-leading public affairs sector. But after the extent of its links to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed by the US Department of Justice email release, clients have been severing ties and its chief executive has quit. Ali Lyon [...]
Are we seeing the death of the corporate box in sports stadiums? February 10, 2026 The future landscape of sports stadiums is undergoing a radical revolution: clubs and architects alike are growing in confidence, wanting their arenas to be 365-day businesses that go far beyond the 90 minutes of enjoyment football offers. Look at the planned chimneys on Birmingham City’s master plan and the three towers on Manchester United’s 100,000-seat [...]
Why your boss might tell you to wear an Oura ring February 10, 2026 Physiology is becoming the next boardroom obsession with employers deploying wearable healthtech to track performance, says Paul Armstrong There’s a growing gap between how businesses model risk and how performance actually degrades. Corporate performance is still described through revenue growth, operating margin, capital efficiency and market share, yet the real constraint on execution increasingly sits [...]
Gordon Ramsay is the big winner from Michelin Guide 2026 February 9, 2026 Gordon Ramsay was the big winner from the 2026 Michelin Guide, maintaining his three stars at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay for an unbelievable 25th year as well as earning a new Michelin star for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High at his sky-high fine dining venue at 22 Bishopsgate. Ramsay has developed a sizable presence in the Square [...]
Top hotel chain calls for Liverpool Street scheme to be rejected February 9, 2026 A top hotel group has called for Network Rail’s £1.2bn Liverpool Street redevelopment to be rejected or deferred, warning that it might not ever be completed. James Francque, global head of transactions at Hyatt, said the scheme is “not financially viable, offers limited operational benefit, and carries a high risk of non-delivery.” “For these reasons, [...]
Tesco snaps up shuttered Amazon Fresh sites in convenience store push February 9, 2026 Tesco plans to open over 70 Express stores across the country by March next year, including at least five new sites in London. In a statement released today, the supermarket chain confirmed it had acquired five former Amazon Fresh stores across the capital. These sites – in Kensington High Street, Hounslow, Moorgate, Aldgate East, and [...]
Why Burford should be your next Cotswolds weekend away February 9, 2026 If there was a Venn diagram between people who live in East London, have smart little dogsin dinky little coats and are partial to pet nat, then The Bull in Charlbury would probably be inthe middle. If you draw a Venn diagram between people who live in West London, havesmart gundogs and are partial to [...]
Valentine’s Day 2026: 7 amazing things to do in London February 9, 2026 Whether you’re looking for a romantic evening with a partner, to meet a new love interest on a first date or to avoid the narrative entirely by spending a platonic evening with friends, Valentine’s Day is unavoidably big news. Last year, Brits spent nearly £1billion on smushy declarations of love. If you’re in the market [...]
On this day in 1996: the IRA bombs the Docklands February 9, 2026 30 years ago today, two men were killed in a massive explosion at Canary Wharf – and the IRA proved that you can bomb your way to the negotiating table, writes Eliot Wilson At around 5.00 pm, 30 years ago today, a blue Ford Iveco Cargo truck was parked 80 yards from South Quay DLR [...]
FCA to publish London share trading data to defend UK public markets February 9, 2026 The City watchdog is planning to start collecting and publishing all available data on share-trading in an attempt to show that liquidity in UK public markets is not as bad as it is often thought. The plans will act as a stopgap until the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issues its ‘consolidated tape’ of trading data [...]