Why Labour can’t kick Whitehall’s consultancy habit September 9, 2026 Since coming to power, Labour has been vocal about cutting spending on external consultants to save taxpayers money. However, data suggests it has actually moved in the opposite direction, as the private sector shows it is a necessity and not a luxury, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The pledge to cut back on external consultants was first [...]
Liverpool in record £300m deal as Turkish Airlines replaces Standard Chartered September 8, 2026 Liverpool will replace Standard Chartered as their front-of-shirt partner next season after agreeing a record £300m deal with Turkish Airlines. The flagbearer, already a sponsor of the Uefa Champions League, will pay £60m per season as part of a five-year deal beginning in 2027 in what is being reported as the biggest front-of-shirt deal in [...]
Dunelm shares crater as hot weather undermines growth plan September 8, 2026 Shares in Dunelm plummeted after its new boss warned that record summer temperatures had posed an early hurdle to her plans to kick off growth at the furniture and homeware seller. Clo Moriarty, who joined the group from Sainsbury’s in October last year, said progress towards her new strategy has so far been delayed by [...]
Badenoch bets on experience as Griffith and Tugendhat claim shadow cabinet top spots August 31, 2026 Andrew Griffith has been announced as the new shadow chancellor, replacing Sir Mel Stride in a Conservative Party reshuffle carried out before parliament returns on Tuesday. Griffith, who was the shadow business secretary, will now lead on economic policy for the Tories heading up a new Conservative Economics Unit. Kemi Badenoch’s decision to sack Stride [...]
Treasury ‘tells Healey’ to consider tax on banks and oil August 30, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has been presented with a plan to tax oil firms and banks further as bosses in the sectors have posted huge profits, according to reports. Healey may look to tax businesses at this year’s Budget in order to rebuild a partly-eroded £22.7bn fiscal buffer, and fill spending pledges for defence and the [...]
Asda turnaround king Allan Leighton hopes for summer boost August 27, 2026 Allan Leighton, the turnaround expert charged with leading Asda’s resurgence, has been known for his showmanship. During his first stint at Asda in the 90s, he kicked off an annual managers’ conference by revving into the auditorium on a Harley-Davidson motorbike. It was this reputation for bold, eye-catching leadership which prompted struggling discount retailer Asda [...]
Affluent Big Four partners lack ‘fire in the belly’ to disrupt consulting market August 27, 2026 The trend of Big Four partners leaving to launch boutique consultancies has accelerated in recent years. But Q5 co-founder has told City AM that many will struggle to build true challenger brands without an “all or nothing” approach. Five founders, including managing partner Olly Purnell, launched boutique consultancy firm Q5 at the height of the global financial [...]
Fed chair Kevin Warsh faces Jackson Hole D-Day August 27, 2026 Kevin Warsh has opted for a less-is-more approach when communicating his feelings on interest rates and inflation. Ahead of his first set piece speech as Federal Reserve chair, investors want to hear more, writes Ali Lyon. When Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh steps up to the wood-panelled stage at this week’s Jackson Hole symposium, investors [...]
GPTZero founder: Even with watermarks, AI slop isn’t going anywhere August 25, 2026 We must learn how AI fits in the writing process effectively, rather than as a short cut to produce spam, writes GPTZero co-founder Alex Cui.
payabl. Teams Up with Visa to Help Merchants Quickly Resolve Disputes and Prevent Costly Chargebacks August 25, 2026 European financial technology provider payabl. has expanded its relationship with Visa to extend access to real-time dispute management tools for merchants across the UK and EU. Through the collaboration, payabl. will offer Visa’s Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) services, enabling merchants to resolve disputes automatically at the pre-dispute stage and help prevent costly chargebacks before they [...]