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 [...]
British Gas boss: Electricity bills to top Ukraine war heights February 11, 2026 Electricity bills will be higher in 2030 than in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the boss of British Gas has warned, as the government pushes through major upgrades to the UK’s grid infrastructure. Chris O’Shea, chief executive of British Gas-owner Centrica, said the UK was playing catch-up after years of underinvestment, and [...]
Mandelson’s Global Counsel has been rocked by its links to Epstein. Will it survive? February 10, 2026 Global Counsel – the lobbying shop co-founded by Peter Mandelson – was once a swashbuckling force in London’s world-leading public affairs sector. But after the extent of its links to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed by the US Department of Justice email release, clients have been severing ties and its chief executive has quit. Ali Lyon [...]
‘Look out for rich individuals’: The deep ties between Mandelson lobbying firm and Epstein February 5, 2026 As one of London’s many eminent lobbying and advisory outfits, Peter Mandelson’s Global Counsel is well versed in what it takes to manage a reputation. Set up by the former deputy Prime Minister and Labour spin doctor Benjamin Wegg-Prosser from the embers of Labour’s 2010 general election loss, it has worked on some of the [...]
If Russia wins, one year on February 3, 2026 A year on from the publication of Carlo Masala’s If Russia Wins, it’s warning about the West’s complacency are more important than ever, says Rainer Zitelmann One year ago, Carlo Masala, the renowned German professor of security and defence policy, completed his book “Wenn Russland gewinnt” (“If Russia Wins”). Unfortunately, the book, which is meant [...]
Mandelson told Epstein he was ‘trying hard’ to change bank bonus rules February 1, 2026 Peter Mandelson told Jeffrey Epstein he was “trying hard” to change government policy on bankers’ bonuses at his request, months after Epstein had paid thousands of pounds to the then UK business secretary’s husband and the 2008 financial crash. Emails released by the Department of Justice on Friday showed new details of the closeness of [...]
Tyson Fury’s comeback fight will be broadcast on Netflix January 28, 2026 Netflix will broadcast its first ever live event from the United Kingdom when Tyson Fury exits retirement to take on Arslanbek Makhmudov. The card has been scheduled for 11 April with the location as yet unknown, but the bout has been agreed in conjunction with boxing’s latest tycoon Turki Alalshikh and his magazine, The Ring. [...]
Lloyds subsidiary fined £160,000 for Putin ally sanctions breach January 26, 2026 A subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group has been fined for sanctions breaches after it opened a bank account for an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bank of Scotland, a subsidiary of Lloyds since 2009, was fined £160,000 by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) on Monday for breaching Russian sanctions. Although not named [...]
London fintech Guavapay founder quits ahead of Mastercard court battle January 21, 2026 The founder of London fintech Guavapay has resigned as a director as the firm gears up for a court case brought by payments giant Mastercard. Azerbaijani entrepreneur and Russian university graduate Orkhan Nasibov, who launched the company in 2017, has stepped back from his role at the helm of the company due to “fatigue and [...]
Independent to run London Standard newspaper January 20, 2026 Independent Media is poised to run the digital and commercial operations of the London Standard, little more than a year after the freesheet pared back its print operation to focus on a weekly edition. Staff were informed in a memo circulated on Tuesday that the Lord Evgeny Lebedev-owned Standard was “in the process of negotiating [...]