If London is serious about shaping the next era of tech, we must treat semiconductors as vital national infrastructure, writes Russ Shaw.

A senior official admits errors in PPE Medpro contract approval, as day two of the £122m High Court case reveals confusion and contradictions inside the government’s Covid procurement process. Read more: PPE Medpro legal battle intensifies as civil servant admits approval ‘mistake’ over sterile gowns

The High Court has upheld Labour’s decision to apply 20% VAT to private school fees.

The rising popularity of padel and pickleball has helped health club chain David Lloyd make a profit for the first time since being acquired by private equity giant TDR Capital. The Hertfordshire-headquartered chain has reported a pre-tax profit of £32.2m for 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The results come after the…

French energy giant EDF has acquired EV charger company Pod Point for just £10 million, down from its £352 million IPO valuation in 2021, after a sharp drop in revenue and continued losses. Read more: EDF buys EV charger firm pod point for just £10m – four years after £352m london float

The Ministry of Defence and Department for Health and Social Care are slated to see billions cut in Whitehall budgets in what a DOGE-style body within the Treasury described as “efficiency gains” – despite both departments set to see a real terms increase in spending between 2026 and 2029.  A new government document has revealed…

PPE Medpro defends itself in a £122m High Court case, arguing that the UK government approved its gowns during Covid-19 and is now wrongly scapegoating the firm for its own procurement failures. Read more: PPE Medpro hits back in £122m DHSC court case, blaming government ‘chaos’ during Covid procurement

UK exports to the US dropped by £2bn in April — the steepest monthly fall since 1997 — following President Trump’s new tariffs. Trade front-loading in Q1 gave way to sharp decline. Read more: Record fall in British exports to US as Trump tariffs bite

High Street favourite sold for £1 in a bid to stabilise the business.

FirstGroup, once a pioneer of employee representation on boards, has scrapped its employee director role amid business restructuring—marking a setback for the worker voice movement. Read more: Firstgroup quietly ends long-running employee director policy