Spending Review: Reeves leaves London short-changed June 11, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ inaugural Spending Review fell short for London, the capital’s business advocacy group has said. Reeves’ announcements on infrastructure, transport and skills were received warmly but BusinessLDN has said the Chancellor had failed to fully deliver, leaving the capital “short-changed”. The Spending Review included a four-year settlement for Transport for London with the [...]
AI watchdog slams government over facial recognition rollout May 29, 2025 An artificial intelligence (AI) search body has criticised the UK government for accelerating the deployment of facial recognition technology without first establishing a comprehensive legal framework. The Ada Lovelace Institute has warned the increasing use of live facial recognition (LFR) by police and retailers across the UK is happening in a “legislative void”, raising urgent [...]
NHS to open more ‘mental health A&Es’ to relieve pressure on hospitals May 24, 2025 The NHS will open more mental health crisis centres across England in a bid to keep those patients out of “crowded A&Es”, the head of NHS England has said. The new service, staffed by specialist doctors and nurses, will be open to patients who present symptoms of a mental health crisis, such as suicidal thoughts [...]
Three Iranian men charged with spying offences under National Security Act May 17, 2025 Three Iranian nationals living in London have been charged under the National Security Act with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service, after an investigation led by counter-terrorism officers, the Metropolitan Police said. Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, of St John’s Wood, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, of Kensal Rise, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, [...]
UK dismisses Chinese concerns on trade May 14, 2025 The UK government has rejected Chinese criticism of its newly-inked US trade deal, in an effort to allay worries that ties between the world’s second largest economy and Britain would deteriorate. Labour have said that China’s economy was not being intentionally “undermined” in the deal, which saw tariffs on steel fall to zero per cent [...]
Conservative MP charged with two sexual assaults at London Club May 13, 2025 Conservative MP Patrick Spencer has been charged with two counts of sexual assault alleged to have taken place at The Graucho Club in central London. The charges relate to two alleged incidents involving two different women at the Soho members’ club, both in August 2023, according to a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). [...]
UK police arrest seven Iranians in counter-terrorism probes May 4, 2025 Counter-terrorism police have arrested eight men, seven of whom are Iranian nationals, in two separate investigations, the Metropolitan Police said on Sunday. On Saturday, five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals between the ages of 29 and 40, were detained on suspicion of terrorism offences over a plot to target a specific premises. The [...]
M&S and Co-op: UK retailers brace for cyber attacks May 1, 2025 Two of the UK’s most recognisable retail brands – Marks and Spencer and Co-op – found themselves at the centre of a growing cyber security storm this past week. From suspended online orders at M&S to locked-down systems at Co-op, the message from the frontline is clear: cyber threats are no longer just an IT [...]
M&S: Police investigate cyber attack as FTSE 100 shares stall April 30, 2025 The ongoing cyber attack on Marks & Spencer (M&S) is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police as the FTSE 100 retailer and its customers continue to face major disruption. Officers from the force’s cyber crime unit are looking into reports a hacking group known as Scattered Spider may have carried out the attack. When it [...]
Police appeal for information after statues targeted during trans rights rally April 20, 2025 The metropolitan police has renewed an appeal for information after seven statues were daubed with graffiti during a trans rights protest in central London on Saturday. Parliament square was densely populated with thousands of supporters who gathered for what was billed as an “emergency demonstration” days after a Supreme Court ruling on the definition of [...]