UK services sector hit with record cost inflation spike after fuel prices surge April 23, 2026 Businesses recorded cost inflation at the highest level since the aftermath of Liz Truss’ chaotic mini-Budget in April as the consequences of the Iran war continued to ripple through the economy. A rapid increase in raw material prices led to a jump in costs for the manufacturing sector but the UK’s all-important services sector – [...]
The tax effect: Reeves borrowed less than OBR forecast April 23, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves oversaw lower government borrowing than the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast in the financial year 2024 to 2025, it has been revealed, pointing to the effect sweeping tax hikes have had in narrowing the deficit. The Office for National Statistics has shown that government borrowing over the last financial year was £132bn [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win? April 23, 2026 Political turmoil in Westminster and voter anxiety across a range of issues could see the political map of London redrawn after the upcoming local elections. Felix Armstrong, Mauricio Alencar, Matt Kenyon, Samuel Norman, Saskia Koopman and Simon Hunt preview how residents in each of the capital’s 32 boroughs could vote on May 7. The Greens [...]
Copilot coaching: Can AI train me to run the London Marathon better? April 23, 2026 Ed Warner has swapped relentless pavement-pounding for AI prompts in the hope of training smarter – and less – for Sunday’s London Marathon. I’m getting my excuses in early. What began as my AI-generated, pared-back London Marathon training programme has – due to entirely unforeseeable circumstances – become the skimpiest of prep for this weekend’s [...]
Back to the 1970s: Brits know the damage being done to our economy April 23, 2026 By late 1978 Britain was in the grip of what became known as the Winter of Discontent. Waves of strike action caused huge economic and social disruption as rubbish piled up on the streets and bodies went unburied. It was a crisis for the Labour government and a low point in Britain’s recent history. It [...]
Punchdrunk Theatre founder: These video games changed my life April 23, 2026 Punchdrunk is the company that put immersive theatre on the map. Since it was founded more than a quarter of a century ago, it has built a reputation for creating vast, intricate, freeflowing productions in which masked audience-members are allowed to roam freely through its spaces. Hits include The Drowned Man (2013), Sleep No More [...]
Lord Khan of Tooting? Sounds like a great idea to me! April 23, 2026 It is time that our failing Mayor moved on to challenges new, argues James Ford Our illustrious Prime Minister is rumoured to be considering raising the Mayor of London to the House of Lords, possibly as soon as next month. There may even be a seat around the Cabinet Table in the offing too. I, [...]
Can an AI make art? And would it be worth looking at? April 23, 2026 The last year has seen artificial intelligence disrupt almost every industry – but can it really create art? Chris Dorrell speaks to artists working with AI and meets a robot painter In a darkened room in Camden, I kneel at an altar, pressing buttons on an illuminated red keyboard. Embossed with the shapes of human [...]
Remember that controversial ‘woke’ Jaguar? We drove it… April 23, 2026 The controversial woke Jaguar Type 00 concept car has become the Jaguar GT prototype – and we’ve driven it. Can this luxurious EV recapture the spirit of Jaguar? Heritage is something Jaguar has considered from the earliest stages of its rebirth. Once the design of the first new car, an electric GT previewed by the [...]
Untrained managers are stalling Britain’s AI returns April 23, 2026 British businesses are pouring copious amounts of capital into AI, but meaningful returns are by no means guaranteed. New research from the Chartered Institute of Management found that only one in 20 managers report real, transformational productivity gains from AI investment. Meanwhile, one in four say they have seen no benefit at all. The CMI’s [...]