Mickey Mouse puts copyright woes to bed with Disney-OpenAI deal December 16, 2025 Disney’s $1bn investment in OpenAI, coupled with a three year licensing deal for over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters on Sora, constitutes a seismic shift in how Hollywood thinks about content creation and copyright. Last week’s announcement, long anticipated since CEO Bog Iger hinted at AI plans, marks the first time a [...]
Value of UK passport declines sharply under Labour December 16, 2025 The once-coveted British passport has tumbled in value since Rachel Reeves’ “wealth tax” Budget, according to a new report. In the latest Passport Index, put together by financial advisory firm Nomad Capitalist, the UK’s iconic blue travel document has slipped from 21st place in the previous list down to 35th out of 199 countries. This [...]
‘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 [...]
Reform government would partially nationalise Rolls-Royce through ‘strategic stake’ December 16, 2025 A Reform government would partially nationalise Rolls-Royce as a quid pro quo for helping it ramp up its small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear programme “as fast as it possibly can”, its policy chief has said. In a wide-ranging interview setting out his party’s plans for the UK economy, Zia Yusuf told City PM that Reform [...]
Starling revs up Engine with City hiring spree December 16, 2025 Starling is motoring into 2026 with its foot firmly on the pedal, injecting a fresh pump of gas into the group’s technology arm. The UK fintech veteran is planning to shift its software-as-a-service (Saas) banking platform into top gear with a major hiring spree across London. The platform, known as Engine, is a subsidiary of [...]
Starmer addresses leadership rumours amid bond market warnings December 15, 2025 Keir Starmer has acknowledged that speculation over his leadership is “rife” amid fresh concerns that a change in Prime Minister could spark panic in the bond markets. The PM vowed to take action on leaks and briefings coming from Downing Street over the last few months, adding that he had previously dismissed officials for sharing [...]
Tories tell Labour to return donor’s funds amid antisemitism row December 15, 2025 The Tories have called on Labour to return donations made by top donor Dale Vince after he provoked backlash with a social media post on antisemitism following the Bondi Beach terror attack. In a post on X, Vince — an energy tycoon who gave Labour more than £5m last year — linked the attack on [...]
World Cup tickets aren’t worth getting into debt for, Scotland fans told December 15, 2025 Scotland manager Steve Clarke has urged fans not to rack up debt following his team at the 2026 World Cup, amid criticism of sky-high ticket prices. The Tartan Army is expected to travel in numbers to the US next summer to see Scotland play in a first men’s World Cup for 28 years, where supporters [...]
Inflation to remain sticky before interest rates call December 15, 2025 Inflation is expected to remain stubbornly high in fresh data to be released on Wednesday, adding greater scrutiny to the Bank of England’s upcoming interest rates decision. Price growth is set to remain at 3.5 per cent in the year to November, a slight fall from the month before, according to consensus established by Trading [...]
Six of the top business books of 2025 December 15, 2025 Yes, dear reader, it’s that time of year again. What to buy for that special high-flying City exec in your life? I’ve read nearly 50 books this year – most of them new, and most about business. Some were good, others have since found their way to Oxfam. Here are a few of my favourites. [...]
