Businesses slam brakes on hiring over Burnham uncertainty July 13, 2026 The UK’s lofty tax bill and concerns surrounding the direction of an Andy Burnham premiership have led to a subdued jobs market, new research suggests, as employers pause hiring whilst they wait for further clarity on the likely incoming Prime Minister’s tax policies. Available jobs in London slumped five per cent in the second quarter [...]
The devastating prognosis for the UK’s public finances July 11, 2026 While much of the media obsesses over Nigel Farage’s fight with a man dressed as a bin, I have something more sobering to discuss as we kick off the weekend. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s report into fiscal risks and sustainability, published this week, is comfortably the most alarming yet. This is an annual review [...]
Singapore on Thames or the Sick Man of Europe?: The Economics of Brexit Ten Years from the Referendum July 9, 2026 Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Robert Johnson of the Centre for Cities analyse the economic impact of Brexit and its promise of deregulation and growth Since the Brexit referendum of 2016, and since actually leaving the EU in January 2021, the UK’s economic performance has been feeble. On a [...]
London doesn’t need more social housing, it needs more housing full stop July 9, 2026 Andy Burnham’s plan for a huge social housebuilding programme will be expensive and won’t solve the root cause of the housing crisis: we just haven’t built enough houses, says Emma Revell Andy Burnham isn’t letting a little thing like constitutional reality get in the way of starting his premiership with some big announcements. The de [...]
Sizewell B granted 20-year life extension July 8, 2026 The government has granted the Sizewell B nuclear power plant a 20-year lifetime extension, meaning it will now continue to generate electricity until 2055. Majority-owner EDF and investor Centrica said they had agreed terms with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, in a deal that will see its owners paid considerably less for [...]
IMF offers UK modest growth upgrade despite fresh Iran war tension July 8, 2026 The UK economy is set to grow just one per cent this year, according to the The International Monetary Fund (IMF), following a modest revision from its previous gloomy prediction. The IMF said the consequences Iran war, which has led to continued disruptions across the economically-critical Strait of Hormuz, would soften momentum across the UK [...]
UK borrowing costs surge as Trump declares Iran ceasefire over July 8, 2026 UK borrowing costs surged and the price of oil leapt to a two week-high on Wednesday after Donald Trump suggested his already-fragile ceasefire deal with Iran was over. The yield on ten-year gilts – the primary benchmark for how much it costs the government to borrow – stormed 11 basis points higher to 4.96 per [...]
Frying squad: England’s World Cup bid fuelled by cooking oil and leftover food July 8, 2026 England’s World Cup campaign in the USA, Mexico and Canada is being powered by used cooking oil, leftover food and algae. The decision to maintain a World Cup training base in Kansas City has meant England are racking up the air miles for matches. A 2,800-mile round trip to Mexico City for Sunday night’s last-16 [...]
Kemi Badenoch: AI firms ‘won’t come here’ if Britain overregulates July 7, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has warned Britain risks driving away the next generation of AI giants unless it lowers industrial energy costs or fixes London’s capital markets, arguing the UK cannot regulate its way to becoming a global tech leader. Speaking at the Politics UK Summit in Westminster on Monday evening, the Conservative leader said Britain was [...]
Quaise Energy Raises $134 Million in Initial Close of Series B to Build World’s First Superhot Geothermal Power Plant July 7, 2026 Prelude Ventures led the round, with participation from JERA Co., Inc., Japan's largest power generation company, and Idemitsu Kosan, one of Japan's largest integrated energy companies Series B equity is the first component of a diverse financing that includes project-level capital and debt Quaise's millimeter wave drilling system is approaching one kilometer of depth at its Central Texas field site Series B proceeds fund Project Obsidian in Central Oregon, the world’s first commercial superhot geothermal power plant