Another US lender tumbles as credit jitters accelerate October 24, 2025 Another mid-sized lender filed for bankruptcy in the US, highlighting the growing strain in American credit markets which Andrew Bailey has likened to the subprime crisis that foreshadowed the Great Financial Crisis (GFC). Primalend, a Texan provider of subprime financing to car dealerships, said in a filing on Wednesday that it had collapsed after months [...]
Can Britain’s AI growth lab speed up innovation without risking safety? October 24, 2025 The UK government’s recent unveiling of an AI ‘growth lab’ – a sandbox designed to let companies trial AI under relaxed regulatory conditions – has been hailed as a bold step to accelerate innovation. At the Times Tech Summit on Tuesday, tech secretary Liz Kendall dubbed it as a chance to remove the “needless red [...]
Motor finance: Where do the banks, regulator and Treasury stand? October 24, 2025 The UK banking sector had hoped the Supreme Court’s motor finance ruling would finally switch off the hazard lights and allow lenders to return to business as usual. The industry was handed a lukewarm win by the highest court in the land, who ruled in favour of the banks on two out of three cases. [...]
Rachel Reeves launches ‘Scale-up Unit’ in bid to woo fintechs October 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves will today launch the Treasury’s latest initiative to woo the UK fintech sector with the introduction of a “Scale-Up Unit”. In a visit to Leeds, the Chancellor will pledge to “super charge” UK innovation with the new body, which will be jointly led by the financing and banking watchdogs. The service will first [...]
Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack hammers UK car production October 24, 2025 The most expensive cyber attack in British history suffered by Jaguar Land Rover contributed to car production being slashed by almost 30 per cent in September, according to new figures. Jaguar Land Rover was forced to halt production for five weeks from 1 September which has been estimated to have cost the UK around £1.9bn. [...]
Exclusive: Labour mulls hefty fine for employers who stop unions entering offices every week October 23, 2025 The Labour government is considering a plan to give trade unions weekly access to businesses’ offices, with fines worth up to £75,000 to be dished out to bosses who bar them from entering. The Employment Rights Bill (ERB) is set to include powers for trade unions to gain “right of access” to workplaces, a perk [...]
UK justice ministry adopts ChatGPT to cut red tape October 23, 2025 OpenAI has signed a new agreement with the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that will see 2,500 civil servants gain access to ChatGPT, as the government prioritises rolling out AI to modernise public services. Announced on Thursday at the OpenAI frontiers conference in London, the move forms part of a broader deal signed earlier this [...]
Tennis chiefs risk angering players by adding Saudi Masters event to calendar October 23, 2025 The ATP is to add a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia despite complaints from some top tennis players that the calendar is already too congested. The Saudi Masters event could become a fixture on the men’s elite tour as soon as 2028, with February earmarked as the most likely window but not yet [...]
Nike reveals England World Cup kit innovation to beat 50C heat October 23, 2025 England have been handed a new weapon to combat the extreme heat and humidity expected at next summer’s men’s World Cup by kit maker Nike. Thomas Tuchel’s team could face heat stress equivalent to almost 50C at the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. But Nike has unveiled its latest [...]
NBA rocked as FBI arrests stars Billups and Rozier in illegal betting probe October 23, 2025 The NBA has been rocked after Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat point guard Tony Rozier were arrested by the FBI as part of a probe into alleged “illegal gambling schemes”. Billups, who became a five-time NBA All Star during a 17-year career most famously with the Detroit Pistons and is now coach [...]