‘Picking winners? This is about backing champions’ – Reform’s Zia Yusuf on a radical approach to business December 16, 2025 Reform has by any measure enjoyed an incredible 2025. But for much of the poll-topping year, its economic vision has remained an unknown entity. Ali Lyon met policy chief Zia Yusuf to hear, for the first time, his party’s plans for Britain’s flatlining economy and the millions of businesses in it. Zia Yusuf is feeling [...]
Ofcom targets BT and Three as summer outages exposed emergency call risk December 15, 2025 The UK’s telecoms regulator has launched investigations into BT and Three after network failures this summer left customers unable to make calls, including to the emergency services. Ofcom said on Monday that the probes will assess whether the two operators complied with their legal dutiesm after separate incidents caused nationwide disruption. Telecoms giant BT notified [...]
Less jargon, more advice: FCA rises to pro-growth challenge December 10, 2025 With a flurry of announcements ahead of the new year, the FCA is rising to the government’s growth mandate, writes Ali Lyon. For many of the men and women in charge of the UK’s largest financial regulator, a grey cloud will have hung heavy over any festivities last Christmas. Just a day before the seasonal [...]
MPs push for stricter AI rules as UK lags December 8, 2025 Over 100 UK parliamentarians have called on the government to tighten the reigns on AI regulation, warning that ministers risk letting the technology race ahead unchecked. The cross-party push, led by figures including former defence secretary Lord Des Browne and ex-environment minister Lord Zac Goldsmith, argues that superintelligent AI could become “the most perilous technological [...]
Ofcom flexes Online Safety Act with ignored fine December 6, 2025 Ofcom has issued its first major penalty under the Online Safety Act, and it’s aimed squarely at AVS Group Ltd, a little-known adult website network registered to a virtual mailbox in Belize. The regulator fined the firm £1m on Thursday for failing to introduce mandatory age checks across its 18 adult sites, then added another [...]
Alarming rise of social media use among toddlers December 2, 2025 Almost 800,000 children under the age of five are now likely to be using social media platforms in the UK, intensifying concerns around the country’s ability to protect the younger generation online. The figures, based of Ofcom’s recent research, reveal an alarming rise in very young children using platforms intended for teenagers or adults. It [...]
Virgin Media slapped with £24m Ofcom fine December 1, 2025 Ofcom has dished out its biggest fine of the year after accusing telecoms giant Virgin Media of failing to protect vulnerable customers. The media regulator has hit Virgin Media with a £23.8m fine over its treatment of customers during a planned transition from analogue to digital landlines. Virgin Media notified Ofcom over incidents connected with [...]
Yoti revenue surges amid boost from Online Safety Act rules November 18, 2025 Yoti has seen a surge in revenue as the identity verification business was boosted by fresh rules introduced under the Online Safety Act. The London-based business posted a 55 per cent rise in turnover to £20.3m for the year to end March, according to accounts filed with Companies House. “Regulatory issues are central to the [...]
Informa boss shifts residency to UAE October 31, 2025 The boss of a FTSE 100 company Informa has shifted his residency to the UAE and stepped back from his role in the House of Lords, to run the data and events firm from what is one of its fastest-growing regions. Lord Carter, who was the founding chief executive of media watchdog Ofcom, has relocated [...]
Virgin Media O2 and Starlink race to fix London’s connectivity crisis October 30, 2025 Virgin Media O2 has switched on its first ‘giga site’ in central London, a move aimed at improving mobile connectivity across the UK. The site, which combines low-mid and high-band spectrum with Nokia’s technology, can deliver speeds of more than 10Gbps, enough to support 2,000 simultaneous HD video streams. The move is part of the [...]