Third of young Brits brew business ideas at the pub February 18, 2026 A third of young Brits have come up with a business idea over a pint at their local boozer, new research has revealed. Brits are finding unlikely entrepreneurial inspiration in pubs as 18 per cent of all people in the UK have had a light-bulb business moment here, according to new polling by GoDaddy. This [...]
Labour’s employment legislation and national insurance blamed for rising joblessness February 17, 2026 National insurance hikes and the employment rights act mean businesses are being forced to cut back on hiring, business leaders and analysts have said. The labour market continued to loosen at the end of last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, with unemployment climbing to 5.2 per cent between October and [...]
BFI Flare 2026 announces full line-up, from Heartstopper to Russell T Davies February 17, 2026 BFI Flare 2026 runs from 189 – 29 March at BFI Southbank The UK’s dedicated LGBTQ film festival BFI Flare has announced its full line-up for 2026, the year in which the event celebrates its 40th birthday. BFI Flare features world premieres of the latest LGBTQ cinema, as well as talks, events and workshops for [...]
On this day: Thomas J Watson, father of IBM, was born February 17, 2026 On 17 February 1874, the man who would go on to found the largest industrial research organisation on the planet was born in the tiny town of Campbell, writes Eliot Wilson The town of Campbell, New York, in the Appalachian Mountains had a population of less than 2,000 in 1874. Thomas John Watson, born this [...]
Why regenerative agriculture is the key to a better human February 17, 2026 By Noam Bar CoFounder Ottolenghi & Kung Fu Mama, NED, Entrepreneur & Mentor I was sceptical the first time I visited a regenerative cattle farm – inside the M25, in the suburbs of north-west London. The farmer, Jonathan, talked with boundless conviction about changing the way we grow food and how regenerative agriculture will save [...]
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 [...]
Harry Styles will curate Meltdown music festival in London this summer February 16, 2026 Harry Styles has a busy London summer ahead of him. Having already put on sale a 12-night run at Wembley Stadium, the musician has announced that he’ll curate an entire music festival in the capital. The Meltdown festival takes place at the Southbank Centre between 11 – 21 June and celebrates a wide array of [...]
Jobs figures show Labour has abandoned growth February 16, 2026 A staggering 37 per cent of businesses surveyed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said they planned to reduce hiring permanent staff as a result of the Employment Rights Act, says Callum Price If we believe that a government is what it does, not what it says, it would be difficult to argue that this government has even a passing interest [...]
UK under-16s social media ban could land before year end February 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer is considering banning under-16s from social media within months, as ministers crack down on children’s online activity following a deepfake scandal on Elon Musk’s Grok. The prime minister has insisted that “no platform gets a free pass” on child safety, with a formal consultation on tougher social media protections launching in March. [...]
Bank of England’s Mann says minimum wage rise linked to youth employment February 15, 2026 An increase in minimum pay for younger workers has led to a rise in youth unemployment, according to Bank of England rate-setter Catherine Mann, as new data shows Britain’s jobless rate for young people has climbed above the European average. The unemployment rate for 18 to 24-year-olds stood at 13.7 per cent in the three [...]