Unemployment hits post-pandemic high as wage growth slips February 17, 2026 The labour market continued to loosen in the final quarter of last year, official figures show, with wage growth easing and unemployment climbing steadily higher. The rate of joblessness crept up to 5.2 per cent between October and December, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the highest level since early 2021 and slightly [...]
CLIQ: The app combating loneliness is growing its network February 17, 2026 After living in Australia for a period of time, Nicola Gunby and Jason Iliffe wanted to find a community of friends upon moving to London post pandemic, but like many others moving to the capital, they found themselves isolated in one of the world’s busiest cities. Frustrated by a lack of meaningful ways to meet [...]
‘What if a blind person falls over an e-bike?’: The untenable rise of whataboutism February 17, 2026 Rowing about hypothetical dangers like e-bikes on pavements is turning London into a febrile City, scared of progress, writes Michael Martins.
Privacy doesn’t matter in Silicon Valley – that’s why AI is failing February 17, 2026 Data privacy is as an essential component of solving “context” — the key to unlocking full-scale and safe AI adoption for both businesses and consumers, says Lewis Liu I was hanging out with a bunch of 20-something “in the flow” Bay Area founders last week when the conversation turned to Openclaw and Moltbook. If you [...]
Babcock shares surge as Starmer calls for Europe to ‘step up’ on defence February 16, 2026 Shares in Britain’s defence giants rallied on Monday morning as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called for Europe to “step up” on defence spending. Babcock – which plays a key role in the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet as well as naval, land and air operations – surged nearly four per cent in early trading to [...]
Nigel Farage’s war on working from home is vibes-based politics February 16, 2026 Nigel Farage's attack on working from home is designed to increase headlines, not productivity, writes Eliot Wilson.
Natwest and Lloyds shares lead FTSE 100 rally after bruising week February 16, 2026 Natwest led a rally across Britain’s banking giants on Monday morning as lenders patched their wounds after a bruising week on the stock market. The bank topped the FTSE 100’s risers at the starting bell, gaining over four per cent in early trading to 603.60p. Barclays was shortly behind, advancing over 2.5 per cent to [...]
K2 Partnering Solutions Appoints Srinivas Rao as Chief Executive Officer February 16, 2026 K2 Partnering Solutions, a global leader in consultative technology and talent solutions, today announced the appointment of Srinivas Rao as Chief Executive Officer. Srinivas is a seasoned global executive with more than 28 years of experience driving value creation, scalable growth, and operational transformation across digital, consulting, IT services, and business services. He brings deep [...]
Employment Rights Act set to stall hiring, says report February 16, 2026 The government’s new package of employment rights will put a brake on hiring, according to a new report, as businesses worry about the possible risks and costs. More than a third (37 per cent) of businesses surveyed by the the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) plan to reduce hiring permanent staff as a [...]
City chairman: Reports of London’s death have been greatly exaggerated February 16, 2026 Despite many claims to the contrary, what's happening in London today is not stagnation, but renaissance writes Chris Hayward.