Business

Sir Richard Branson has announced the death of his wife, Joan Branson, sharing a heartfelt tribute on Instagram confirming she has passed away after their 50 years together. The Virgin founder described Joan as his “best friend” and “guiding light”, paying tribute to her role at the centre of the Branson family. “Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and …

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has urged Labour MPs to rally behind her “fair and progressive” Budget, warning that while not every measure would be universally popular, the package must be backed in full to deliver the government’s economic agenda. Addressing a tense meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party after two weeks of leadership speculation, Reeves told MPs that “politics is a …

Artificial intelligence and robotics could automate more than half of all work carried out in the United States — with existing technology — according to a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute. The research finds that 57% of US work hours could be automated today if organisations redesigned workflows around the capabilities of AI agents and robots. The analysis …

Currency traders are increasing their bets against sterling ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, fearing that Rachel Reeves’ tax and spending plans could further weaken the UK’s already fragile economic outlook. Data from CME Group shows trading volumes in put options — contracts that profit from a fall in the pound — have outpaced bullish call options by more than four to …

A leading solicitor involved in the Supreme Court victory that shielded regional taxi firms from blanket VAT charges has warned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposed “taxi tax” could have damaging consequences for small operators and vulnerable passengers. Layla Barke-Jones, Dispute Resolution Partner at law firm Aaron & Partners, represented Delta Taxis in the landmark case that confirmed private hire operators …

Clean-energy installation specialist Installio has raised £1.5 million in an oversubscribed Seed round led by Verb Ventures, as the fast-growing London-based company prepares to scale nationally amid surging demand for heat pumps and home-energy retrofits. Founded to tackle the biggest bottleneck in the UK’s clean-heating transition — inconsistent, low-quality installations — Installio combines specialist engineering expertise with a technology platform …

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged to seize the moment and use artificial intelligence to “Make Britain Great Again”, as business leaders and technology experts warn that AI may be the only route to growth in a Budget constrained by Labour’s tax promises. The calls come as the government prepares to announce thousands of new AI-related jobs and billions of …

A new British venture capital fund has secured major backing from Qatar to accelerate investment into quantum computing start-ups, marking a significant vote of confidence in one of the UK’s fastest-growing deep-tech sectors. Firgun Ventures, co-founded by academic and former Culture Trip founder Kris Naudts and ex-Goldman Sachs banker Zeynep Koruturk, has closed its first investment round at $70 million …

Graduate employment has slipped back to pre-Covid levels as a weakening economy depresses hiring and unwinds the temporary post-pandemic surge in opportunities, according to new research from Prospects at Jisc. The annual What do graduates do? report, published on 25 November, shows a sharp deterioration in outcomes for the 2023 graduating cohort, who entered the labour market during a period …

The d⁠igital landsc​ape is undergoi⁠ng a profound tra⁠nsformation,‌ driven⁠ by artif​icial intelligen​ce that blurs‌ th‌e line between static images and vibrant, dyn‌amic content. At the fo⁠refront of this revolu‍tion are groundbreaking to​ols like the ‍A‌I Singing Ph‌oto Generator and the‌ ⁠AI Ta⁠lkin⁠g Photo Gener⁠ator. The⁠se platforms are not just simple gimmicks; they are sophi‍sticated engines of cre‍ativity‍, enablin​g users—from social …