New EV charges threaten fragile consumer confidence February 19, 2026 The UK government wants Britain to go electric, but carmakers are under strict sales targets, grants have been extended, and billions are being funnelled into infrastructure. But at street level, the case for switching still depends on whether the switch will actually save drivers money. That question has become sharper in recent weeks, with TfL [...]
Modernisation and missteps: Lloyd’s of London struggles for a new era February 19, 2026 Lloyd’s of London, one of the world’s largest (re)insurance markets, has faced its fair share of battles in recent years, and one of the biggest fights has been against itself and its old-fashioned ways. Back in 2018, the incoming chief executive, John Neal, had an ambitious mandate: to restore stability and modernise Lloyd’s following a period [...]
Meta signs Nvidia deal as AI infrastructure bill soars February 18, 2026 Meta has announced a a multi-year partnership with Nvidia to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, as it continues to commit billions to data centres. The deal will grant the Facebook owner access to the chip giant’s latest processor, and covers deployments across Meta’s various branches. It will see the social media group roll out [...]
Is AI really to blame for Britain’s rising unemployment? February 17, 2026 Unemployment has risen to 5.2 per cent, the highest level since 2021, as the UK’s labour market continues to cool. But how much of that stagnation can reasonably be attributed to AI? The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show the jobless rate climbed in the three months to December, while the number of [...]
UK under-16s social media ban could land before year end February 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer is considering banning under-16s from social media within months, as ministers crack down on children’s online activity following a deepfake scandal on Elon Musk’s Grok. The prime minister has insisted that “no platform gets a free pass” on child safety, with a formal consultation on tougher social media protections launching in March. [...]
KPMG partner fined for using AI to cheat on internal training February 16, 2026 A partner at the Big Four firm KPMG has been fined $10,000 (£7,200) for using AI to cheat in an internal training course meant to test knowledge of the technology. KPMG Australia has forced an unnamed audit partner to redo a test after they uploaded training materials to an AI platform to help answer AI-related [...]
Starmer closes chatbot loophole in Online Safety Act February 16, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer is set to target AI chatbots with the UK’s Online Safety Act, warning tech titans that “no platform gets a free pass” following a deepfake scandal involving Elon Musk’s Grok. In a speech on Monday, the Prime Minister is expected to confirm plans to amend the Crime and Policing Bill, so that [...]
The first tech wobble of 2026 revives AI bubble fears February 13, 2026 Following a swell of AI bubble scepticism at the back end of 2025, this year’s first market wobble has arrived early, landing squarely on global tech stocks. When Anthropic released a new AI tool designed to help in-house legal teams triage agreements and draft routine responses, the reaction trickled down through law firms straight into [...]
Nscale bags $1.4bn loan as AI infrastructure shifts to private credit February 13, 2026 London-based AI cloud provider Nscale has secured a $1.4bn (£1.03bn) delayed draw term loan backed by GPUs, in one of the largest private credit deals yet tied directly to AI hardware deployments in Europe. The facility was led by funds managed by Pimco, Blue Owl and LuminArx Capital Management, with support from additional asset managers [...]
One in three founders plan job cuts due to AI February 13, 2026 A third of Britain’s scale-up founders are expected to cut jobs in the next year as AI adoption accelerates, new data suggests. A new report by Helm found 33 per cent of founders expect AI to lead job cuts in their business within the next twelve months. Nearly two-thirds, or 64 per cent, said they [...]
