Jeremy Clarkson’s hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm is fuelling a surge in applications to agricultural colleges across the UK, with teenagers citing the show as their first introduction to careers in land management and farming. While Clarkson is the star of the programme, admissions officers say the real inspiration for many applicants has been Charlie Ireland — the land agent and agronomist nicknamed “Cheerful Charlie”, who has become an unlikely ambassador for rural land...
Greg Jackson, the outspoken founder of Octopus Energy, has been appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to join the Cabinet Office board as a non-executive adviser, giving him an influential role at the heart of government. The appointment marks a significant move to bring private sector expertise into Whitehall decision-making. Jackson, whose energy supplier has grown from a start-up in 2015 to a company valued at £9 billion, is expected to use his three-year term...
A small Brighton law firm is taking on one of Britain’s biggest retail banks in a $20 million (£14.75m) High Court battle, using artificial intelligence to cut costs and challenge legal heavyweights. Helix Law is representing US software provider Arkeyo LLC in its claim against Metro Bank, which is accused of breaching copyright and licensing agreements linked to the bank’s in-branch coin counting machines, known as ‘Magic Money Machines’. Metro Bank has instructed City firm...
Small Business Saturday’s nationwide roadshow will return this autumn, touring 23 towns and cities across the UK to celebrate the impact of local entrepreneurs and encourage communities to support small firms. Launching in Scotland in early November, the roadshow — known as The Tour — will kick off in Lossiemouth, Aberdeenshire and Edinburgh, before travelling across the UK. Stops include Belfast, Manchester, Durham, Preston, Carlisle, Derby, Grimsby, Wrexham, Hereford, Newport, Plymouth, Salisbury, Cambridge and London....
The UK is emerging as one of the world’s most attractive destinations for technology businesses, outpacing rivals in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, according to new research from Barclays. The bank’s latest Business Prosperity Index found that 62 per cent of UK tech leaders see their home market as a better place to grow and scale a business than mainland Europe, with 61 per cent preferring the UK to Asia-Pacific and 60 per cent favouring...
