‘National scandal’: Record-high shoplifting driven by repeat offenders April 26, 2026 Shoplifting has been branded a “national scandal” as incidents reach a record high, fuelled by a growing number of repeat offenders. More than 500,000 shoplifting offenses were recorded last year, according to official figures released in response to a parliamentary question by former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith. Fears around the worsening state of [...]
King’s Speech to unleash wave of City reforms April 26, 2026 A host of City of London reforms will be set in stone at next month’s King’s Speech, as the Prime Minister hopes to use the moment to turn a corner from doubts over his leadership. Impending reforms, including scrapping the payments watchdog and overhauling the financial ombudsman, are set to be legislated in the financial [...]
Economy could suffer for eight months after Iran war ends, minister says April 26, 2026 Surging food and energy prices caused by the Iran war could last for more than eight months after the conflict ends, Starmer’s right-hand man has said. Higher petrol, food and plane ticket prices will persist for “eight-plus months” following the end of the conflict, chief secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said. The minister [...]
Government to step up support for businesses affected by Iran war April 26, 2026 The government is ramping up efforts to offset the impact of the Iran war on UK businesses as concerns over energy prices continue to grow. In its latest attempt to ease the damage caused by the Middle East conflict, the government has opted to work directly with businesses, with the prime minister preparing to chair [...]
Tax raids trigger worst start to year on record for businesses April 25, 2026 Tax rises under Labour coupled with the war in Iran have triggered the worst start to the year for businesses on record. Fewer businesses were set up in the first three months of 2026 than in the same period of any year on record, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics. Just 78,655 [...]
Banks brace for potential tax raid if Starmer is ousted April 25, 2026 Banks in the UK are bracing for potential tax raises, as expectations that Keir Starmer could soon be replaced by a more leftwing Labour politician continue to grow. The banking sector narrowly evaded a tax increase in last year’s Autumn Budget after chancellor Rachel Reeves sought reassurance that they would boost lending in the UK [...]
Motor finance trade body gears up for legal challenge to £9bn redress April 24, 2026 The motor finance industry’s trade body is mulling lodging a legal battle against the UK financial watchdog‘s £9bn redress scheme. The Finance and Leasing Association (FLA), which counts Santander and the financial arms of BMW and Volkswagen among its members, is reported to be leaning towards challenging the City regulator’s scheme. Members of the body [...]
Saracens hit out at disjointed rugby calendar amid £9m loss April 24, 2026 Saracens have hit out at the disjointed rugby calendar after the London club made losses of £9m last season. The side, who finished sixth last year and missed out on the semi-finals, used their accounts to criticise rugby’s domestic calendar, which features huge spells without matches to ensure that players can play international rugby and [...]
Meta Signs Agreement With AWS to Power Agentic AI on AWS Graviton Chips April 24, 2026 The deal helps power the agentic workloads behind Meta’s AI efforts Key takeaways The deployment starts with tens of millions of Graviton cores, with the potential to expand. Meta is now one of the largest Graviton customers in the world. The deal builds on Meta's long-standing AWS relationship and use of Amazon Bedrock at scale to support its next generation of AI.
Why the Norwegian Arctic is the best place to see the Northern Lights April 24, 2026 This Arctic outpost at the north of the Scandi nation is perhaps Europe’s best-kept travel secret, says Luke Abrahams Nighttime in Jøkelfjord, Norway, 215 miles north of the Arctic Circle. I dread to think what temperature it is. I’m hiding from the bitter air in a hot tub, although the opulence is interrupted when the [...]