Reeves considers replacing stamp duty with new property tax
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

Exclusive: Treasury examines options including tax on homes sold for more than £500,000 as well as overhaul of council taxThe Treasury is considering a new tax on the sale of homes worth more than £500,000 as a step towards a radical overhaul of stamp duty and council tax, the Guardian has been told.As the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, prepares the ground for tax rises in this autumn’s budget, senior ministers have tasked officials to study how a new “proportional” property tax could be implemented and model its impact before reporting back to ministers, who have been briefed on the proposals. Continue reading...

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UK metals firms threaten to sue government over tariffs on steel imports from Asia
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

Companies send letter to business secretary complaining new rules were imposed with 24 hours’ noticeUK metals companies have threatened to take legal action against the government over tariffs on raw steel imports from Asia which they claim have caused a “tsunami” of problems for the industry.Earlier this summer, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, reduced the amount of raw steel from Vietnam and South Korea that can be imported tariff-free in a move designed to protect UK raw steel makers, which face competition from cheap imports. Continue reading...

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Soho House members’ club to go private in $2.7bn deal as Ashton Kutcher joins board
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

MCR Hotels to lead new equity investors in members’ club chain after four years on New York stock exchangeBusiness live – latest updatesThe members’ club chain Soho House has agreed a $2.7bn (£2bn) deal to take it private after a tricky four years listed on the New York stock exchange.New York-based MCR Hotels will lead new equity investors in the chain of clubs as part of a deal that will involve it ditching its stock market listing. Continue reading...

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‘Shut it down and start again’: staff disquiet as Alan Turing Institute faces identity crisis
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

Whistleblower warns UK’s top AI research body in danger of collapse due to threats over funding and new directionWhen the UK government announced the creation of the Alan Turing Institute in 2014 it promised a “fitting memorial” to the renowned computer scientist and artificial intelligence pioneer.More than a decade on, Britain’s leading AI institute is in turmoil as staff warn it may be in danger of collapse and ministers demand a shift in focus to defence and security work. Continue reading...

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Chatbot given power to close ‘distressing’ chats to protect its ‘welfare’
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

Anthropic found that Claude Opus 4 was averse to harmful tasks, such as providing sexual content involving minorsThe makers of a leading artificial intelligence tool are letting it close down potentially “distressing” conversations with users, citing the need to safeguard the AI’s “welfare” amid ongoing uncertainty about the burgeoning technology’s moral status.Anthropic, whose advanced chatbots are used by millions of people, discovered its Claude Opus 4 tool was averse to carrying out harmful tasks for its human masters, such as providing sexual content involving minors or information to enable large-scale violence or terrorism. Continue reading...

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Leeds v Everton: Premier League updates – live
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

Calvert-Lewin misses out; Grealish on benchGet in touch with Will to share your thoughts“Greetings from California,” says Mary Waltz. “This Everton fan is so hyped about the new stadium. stadiums don’t put goals in the net. But it will give them the economic heft to keep talent and attract talent as well. Watching Richarlison score on that amazing bicycle kick was so bittersweet because he used to be ours, not Spurs. COYB.”“Evening, Will,” writes Ian Copestake. “Glad to see Leeds investing in physical players.rather than AI-generated ones.” Continue reading...

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Keely Hodgkinson’s spectacular return proves she is Britain’s greatest sporting talent
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025

If we were in the 70s or 80s, BBC and ITV would be fighting to show her races but athletics is often hidden between OlympicsThree months ago Keely Hodgkinson went to Windsor Castle to collect her MBE from Prince William and, unwittingly, nearly derailed her season. The trip from Manchester made her back stiff. Soon afterwards, she tore her right hamstring.“It was four hours in a car one way and four hours back,” says Trevor Painter, one of her coaches. “If she does things like that, it does mess her back up a little bit. And unfortunately it was a couple of sessions after that when the problem occurred.” Continue reading...

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