Meet the winners of the Santander X UK Awards 2026 October 1, 2026 Santander’s flagship entrepreneurship competition, the Santander X UK Awards, gives university ventures, startups and SMEs the chance to pitch for a share of £150,000 in equity-free funding. Some 90 businesses were shortlisted across three categories this year, before being narrowed down to nine finalists. The judging panel included Baroness Nicky Morgan, Google’s Adam Khalifa and [...]
Chef’s Table: Victor Garvey interviews top Japanese actress Yoh Yoshida October 1, 2026 Dine with Yoh Yoshida and Victor Garvey at MATER1A as they discuss Shakespeare, Japan and Michelin-starred cuisine—read the full conversation.
Blue on blue: Tory infighting erupts over triple lock pension petition October 1, 2026 Infighting across Tory circles has broken out after the party published a petition claiming Labour had pledged to “cut” the state pension following its triple lock reforms. At this week’s party conference, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he would reform the triple lock pension if Labour remained in power after the next election. The state [...]
FTSE 100 suffers worst single-day sell-off since May as banks brace for tax raid October 1, 2026 The FTSE 100 has suffered its biggest single-day drop since May as European markets are hit by a continent-wide rout in the bond markets, which has pushed western government borrowing costs to multi-decade highs. London’s blue-chip index dropped by two per cent in early trading, erasing all its gains from the third quarter in a [...]
AI minister updates guidance after ‘don’t thank ChatGPT’ advice to civil servants October 1, 2026 Britain’s AI minister has ordered changes to government guidance that urged civil servants to limit their use of AI, saying it failed to reflect ministers’ ambitions to ramp up adoption across Whitehall. Kanishka Narayan said guidance published last week had now been updated after it advised government workers to use AI only when necessary, choose [...]
Everton owners The Friedkin Group part of £850m mega stadium redevelopment October 1, 2026 Owners of Premier League club Everton, The Friedkin Group, are spending around £850m on a major new stadium that is set to host matches at the 2032 Euros. The Friedkin Group, who purchased Everton in 2024 from Farhad Moshiri, will pump around £500m into a new 60,000-capacity capital city stadium with additional funds for urban [...]
Burnham’s ‘costly’ policy agenda sparks investor nerves October 1, 2026 Andy Burnham’s “costly” policy agenda and the resurgent threat of inflation are weighing on investors’ appetite for the UK, according to a closely-watched survey of top money managers, which also revealed waning hopes of a rebound in London’s IPO market this year. Berenberg’s Investor Barometer, which polled 300 international investors managing a combined $1 trillion, [...]
Billionaire Weston family closes in on £7bn Boots takeover October 1, 2026 The Canada arm of the billionaire family behind Primark is inching towards another deal, as it closes in on a £7bn takeover of Boots from its private equity owners. The Westons are in advanced talks to buy the UK pharmacy chain from Sycamore Partners, ending hopes of a potential London IPO. Discussions are ongoing, a [...]
Why finance needs new tools to unleash its teams October 1, 2026 Traditionally, finance functions have largely operated in a hindsight frame of mind. Reports, reconciliations, and audits are retrospective views of cash flows, forecasts are projected from what happened over the last year or quarter, and even something as basic as an expense request often authorises a payment after the fact of purchase. That operating context, [...]
Might Manchester City punishment push them into forming a global super league? October 1, 2026 What if heavily punishing Manchester City causes their ownership to stick two fingers up at the Premier League and walk away, wonders Ed Warner. Let’s play fantasy football. But first the disclaimer: yes, Manchester City have their backs to a precipitous sporting and financial cliff. Yes, they are surrounded by the massed armies of Premier [...]