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 [...]
CLIQ: The app combating loneliness is growing its network February 17, 2026 After living in Australia for a period of time, Nicola Gunby and Jason Iliffe wanted to find a community of friends upon moving to London post pandemic, but like many others moving to the capital, they found themselves isolated in one of the world’s busiest cities. Frustrated by a lack of meaningful ways to meet [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Unemployment rises; Debenhams’ £35m raise February 17, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The UK unemployment rate has risen again this morning, with fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing the rate had surged to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December 2025. This was up from 5.1 per cent in the latest [...]
Defence stocks rally after Starmer vows to ‘go faster’ on spending pledge February 17, 2026 Investors piled into defence stocks on Monday after Keir Starmer said the UK needed to “go faster” on defence spending to combat the growing threat from Russia. The Prime Minister warned that the UK needed to “step up” its defence commitments amid reports that he wants to ramp up the defence budget by tens of [...]
Starmer campaign group’s alarming assault on press freedom February 16, 2026 Morgan McSweeney and Labour Together acted as a fifth column within the Labour party seizing control from the Corbynites and smearing journalists who exposed its dirty tricks. That deception is coming home to roost for Keir Starmer, says Alys Denby Ever since the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks, factional in-fighting has been a defining characteristic of [...]
US alternatives giant leads £150m refinancing at debt-laden Very February 16, 2026 The credit giant that took control of Very from the Barclay family has arranged a £150m funding package for the online retailer ahead of a potential £2bn sale. Carlyle helped arrange an extension and renewal of debt-laden Very’s key credit lines, in a move it said helps secure the group’s long-term funding until 2029. The [...]
Why the UK is losing the AI skills race February 16, 2026 What's the use in being the third largest AI market in the world if our workforce doesn't know how to use it, asks IBM's Leon Butler.
K2 Partnering Solutions Appoints Srinivas Rao as Chief Executive Officer February 16, 2026 K2 Partnering Solutions, a global leader in consultative technology and talent solutions, today announced the appointment of Srinivas Rao as Chief Executive Officer. Srinivas is a seasoned global executive with more than 28 years of experience driving value creation, scalable growth, and operational transformation across digital, consulting, IT services, and business services. He brings deep [...]
Employment Rights Act set to stall hiring, says report February 16, 2026 The government’s new package of employment rights will put a brake on hiring, according to a new report, as businesses worry about the possible risks and costs. More than a third (37 per cent) of businesses surveyed by the the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) plan to reduce hiring permanent staff as a [...]