Starmer claims fiscal headroom can fill £5bn defence funding gap July 1, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has suggested the existing fiscal headroom can be used to fill a defence funding gap of around £1bn a year. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer accused the Conservatives of a “faux outrage” over complaints about £4.7bn out of £15bn being left for funding at the Budget this year. Starmer said that a [...]
Xsolla Announces Scholarship Program to Support Emerging Developers July 1, 2026 New Initiative Expands Access To Gamescom By Reducing Financial Barriers For Independent And Mid-Tier Game Developers Worldwide
Halifax ends 173-year high street run as Lloyds ditches branding July 1, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group is set to ditch its Halifax brand in a move that will end the retail bank’s 173-year run on the high street. The FTSE 100 titan – whose subsidiaries also include Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows – said on Wednesday it would rebrand Halifax under the central moniker of Lloyds. Lloyds [...]
Azalea Vision Awarded Prestigious EIC Accelerator Funding to Advance Smart Contact Lens into Clinical Development July 1, 2026 Belgium’s only company selected in the latest EIC Accelerator funding round. Up to €7.5 million in blended finance: a €2.5 million non-dilutive grant plus a planned €5 million EIC Fund equity investment. Funding advances Azalea’s smart contact lens platform from technical validation into the clinic. Selection provides independent validation of Azalea Vision’s technology, clinical strategy and commercial potential.
Brewdog chief executive quits after only one year July 1, 2026 The boss of Brewdog has stepped down barely more than a year after taking up the role in the latest twist in the long-running saga over the management of the beleaguered beer business. James Taylor, who took up the role of chief executive at the beginning of last year and who oversaw the takeover of [...]
Ealing stalls on Voi contract as ‘sensitive discussions’ threaten West London e-bike network July 1, 2026 Ealing Council has held back from signing a fresh e-bike agreement with operator Voi, City AM understands, stalling its upcoming operating period as backroom negotiations expose growing regulatory divide on London’s high streets. Town hall chiefs have admitted that negotiations have hit a deadlock, revealing they are mired in non-disclosure talks ahead of a looming [...]
German FA HQ raided by police in bribery probe days after shock World Cup exit July 1, 2026 Police have carried out a major raid on the headquarters of Germany’s football federation, the DFB, in a probe into suspected bribery relating to Euro 2024. The raid on Wednesday morning – 36 hours after the men’s national team suffered a shock elimination from the current World Cup by Paraguay – involved more than 150 [...]
Natwest hit with £250m lawsuit tied to Thurrock Council scandal July 1, 2026 Natwest could be on the hook for more than a quarter of a billion pounds for allegedly aiding a businessman in secretly transferring funds from his investment firm. The FTSE 100 giant’s subsidiary – the Royal Bank of Scotland – has been engulfed in the collapse of Rockfire Group, which was triggered by a fraud [...]
Ignore the green gloomsters, climate change is a huge opportunity for Britain July 1, 2026 We do not solve a warming planet by lowering our standard of living, raising taxes and making ordinary people poorer. We solve it with engineering, enterprise, adaptation and abundance, says Albie Amankona For decades, the British national pastime has been complaining about the weather. We have endured centuries of grey, damp, drizzling misery, huddled around [...]
Why Hugh Grant is the last person Burnham should listen to on press freedom July 1, 2026 Hugh Grant hopes his long-running campaign to censor newspapers will find a receptive audience in Andy Burnham’s Downing St. Now is no time undermine free speech, says Joseph Dinnage A lifelong Leftie, big in the 1990s, Oxbridge educated, and a famous on-screen Prime Minister: it’s no surprise that Hugh Grant is friendly with Andy Burnham. [...]