CBI: 200,000 more Brits to face unemployment this year as growth crumbles June 9, 2026 The UK economy is set for further pain in the months ahead, a top business group has warned, as consumers and businesses across the country suffer the effects of the Iran conflict, surging energy prices and a raft of government tax hikes. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said that around 200,000 more Brits [...]
London Tech Week day one: AI talk has come back down to earth June 8, 2026 AI conversations are no longer about possibility, but infrastructure, writes Russ Shaw in day one of his London Tech Week diary.
‘We’ve got lots of things going for us America doesn’t’: Sadiq Khan on competing with Silicon Valley June 8, 2026 Sadiq Khan has claimed that shifting political dynamics in the US are actively driving tech talent and venture capital to the UK, arguing that London possesses structural and cultural advantages that “America doesn’t” as he seeks to position the capital against Silicon Valley. The Mayor of London announced a new £12m investment programme on Monday [...]
Starmer: Britain must ‘not stick its head in the sand’ on AI June 8, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain must not “stick its head in the sand” on artificial intelligence, with the technology set to fundamentally reshape the UK economy. The Prime Minister used his speech at London Tech Week to unveil a major sovereign computing push, new AI skills programmes and a vision for keeping Britain’s fastest-growing [...]
Labour bets £1.1bn on Britain’s AI chip race June 8, 2026 Keir Starmer’s government has unveiled a £1.1bn package aimed at turning Britain into a global AI hardware powerhouse, with ministers backing domestic chipmakers and pouring capital into training the next generation of engineers. The new AI Hardware Plan, announced at London Tech Week by tech secretary Liz Kendall, includes £750m for a new national AI [...]
‘Walking stick daggers’ and ‘nunchucks’ return to London Tech Week banned list June 8, 2026 Before hearing the prime minister or mayor of London talk up Britain’s tech future, attendees of this year’s London Tech Week had an important task: make sure they had left their spear gun at home. The annual list of prohibited items returned to Olympia on Monday, featuring a 45-item catalogue of banned objects ranging from [...]
Blackstone looks to shed $2bn of stakes in private investment funds June 8, 2026 Blackstone is looking to offload over $2bn of stakes held in private investment funds, presenting a test of investors’ appetite for ageing private equity vehicles. The firm is promoting a so-called collateralised fund obligation (CFO), which will bundle more than $2bn (£1.5bn) of stakes in leveraged buyout funds into bonds to sell to investors and [...]
‘Unnecessary bureaucratic hoops’: Pension savers fall victim to outdated scam safeguards June 8, 2026 The government’s pension scam safeguards have been called into question after only a minority of transfers flagged as potential scams were found to be genuinely high-risk, slowing savers’ transfer process. Of the 51,417 amber flags on pensions since November 2021, just 18 per cent were found to relate to high-risk investments or other flagged categories, [...]
Britain’s first sovereign AI model secures blue-chip backing as Starmer unveils £400m plan June 8, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s push to build sovereign British AI capability has won backing from some of the country’s biggest companies, with BT, HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest and BAE Systems joining plans to develop Britain’s first sovereign frontier AI model. British AI startup Cosine unveiled a coalition of major banks, defence contractors and infrastructure firms who had [...]
‘Why single out banks?’: Santander chief hits out at UK tax regime June 8, 2026 The boss of Santander has branded the UK’s tax regime on banks as making “no economic sense” as speculation mounts that the industry could be turned to for a quick cash grab if the Labour government lurches to the left. Ana Botín, the chief executive of the Spanish banking giant, has said the UK tax [...]
