British Land: Return to office debate is over May 20, 2026 British Land has declared the debate over returning to the office “over,” as it prepares to capitalise on constrained supply and a “wave of demand” for commercial property from AI firms. The FTSE 100 property developer saw its profit before tax jump by 32 per cent to £450m in the year to March, as the [...]
Andy Burnham refuses rule out manifesto-busting tax hikes May 20, 2026 Andy Burnham has refused to commit himself to protecting Labour Party manifesto commitments to not raise taxes. Burnham, who is Labour’s candidate in an upcoming by-election in Makerfield, declined to comment on whether he supported the party’s 2024 election manifesto. The Manchester mayor appears to be on a path towards becoming Prime Minister, sharing clips [...]
Starmer eases sanctions on Russian oil despite calls to ramp up North Sea drilling May 20, 2026 Keir Starmer is to allow Russian imports of diesel and jet fuel in a major softening of what has been a hardline stance towards Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A licence issued on Wednesday will allow such products to enter the UK “indefinitely”, as long as the oil has been refined in [...]
Inflation drops as Labour subsidies delay price surge May 20, 2026 Inflation dropped slightly compared to the result in the month before as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget policies stalled an expected surge in price growth. The Office for National Statistics revealed that the consumer price index (CPI) reading was 2.8 per cent, lower than expected by City forecasters. The data for price growth in the year [...]
Deutsche Bank hit with six-figure fine in UK for breaching Russia sanctions May 19, 2026 Deutsche Bank has been slapped with a six-figure fine by the Treasury’s financial sanctions body for processing payments that breached sanctions on Russia. The German multinational investment bank has been handed a £160,000 fine after it was found to have authorised two payments linked to a sanctioned Russian firm between the periods of June and [...]
Platinum prices soar amid supply deficit and AI demand May 18, 2026 Platinum group metals saw significant price gains over the course of 2025, after tightening physical supplies and increasing retail and institutional investor interest hiked costs. Platinum’s average price rocketed 33 per cent last year, hitting $1,280 (£985.5) per ounce, up from $960 the prior year, according to the latest report from Metals Focus. The price [...]
Rachel Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike May 18, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to scrap plans to hike fuel duty, following pressure over the impact of the Iran war on fuel prices and the cost of living. Fuel duty was first frozen by the Tories in March 2022 and the Chancellor had extended this hold on the rate until the end of August this [...]
Fifa World Cup under major threat of cyber terrorism May 18, 2026 The 2026 Fifa World Cup could be the victim of the largest volume of cyber terrorism and hacktivism events in sporting history. The sheer scale of next month’s tournament – which is being hosted across Canada, the United States and Mexico – could play into the hands of rogue states and groups looking to cause [...]
Banning Russia but not Israel shows Eurovision has lost its moral compass May 15, 2026 Banning Russia from Eurovision was easy because it had near-universal Western consensus behind it. But is that is the precedent then it must be applied equally to Israel, says Pablo O’Hana There’s a particular kind of grief in cancelling something you love. After 14 years of hosting what I can only describe as genuinely joyful [...]
Rich List reveals scale of wealth exodus from Britain May 15, 2026 Revolut chief executive Nik Storonsky and quant house luminary Alex Gerko have both featured in the top 10 of The Sunday Times Rich List for the first time, in a year its author warned laid bare the scale of Britain’s wealth exodus. As many as one in six of the individuals and families who appeared [...]