Thames Water paid £1m-plus to corporate spooks firm part-owned by Starmer adviser

A corporate intelligence company part-owned and formerly run by the prime minister’s business adviser has been paid more than £1m by Thames Water as the utilities firm tries to avoid renationalisation, the Guardian can reveal.Hakluyt, which was run by Varun Chandra until his appointment as Keir Starmer’s business adviser last July, has worked with Thames since 2023, providing political and strategic advice.That commercial relationship between Thames and Hakluyt has continued since Chandra joined No 10. He is now tasked with finding a private sector solution for Thames and preventing Britain’s biggest and most troubled water company from collapsing into state ownership.That presents a potential conflict of interest, as the 40-year-old still owns a multimillion-pound stake in Hakluyt and is entitled to receive dividends from the Mayfair company

As US edges closer to stagflation, economists blame Trump policies

It’s a strange time for the US economy. Prices are rising, jobs growth has stalled, uncertainty is everywhere and stock markets have soared to record highs. Against this background a scary word last used in the 1970s is being uttered again: stagflation.Stagflation is the term that describes “stagnant” growth combined with “inflation” of prices. It means that companies are producing and hiring less, but prices are still going up

Elon Musk calls for dissolution of parliament at far-right rally in London

Elon Musk has called for a “dissolution of parliament” and a “change of government” in the UK while addressing the crowd attending the “unite the kingdom” rally, organised by the far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.The X owner, who dialled in via a video link and spoke to Robinson while thousands of attenders watched along, also railed against the “woke mind virus” and told the crowd that “violence is coming” and that “you either fight back or you die”.Speaking at the rally, he said: “I really think that there’s got to be a change of government in Britain. You can’t – we don’t have another four years, or whenever the next election is, it’s too long. Something’s got to be done

UK workers wary of AI despite Starmer’s push to increase uptake, survey finds

It is the work shortcut that dare not speak its name. A third of people do not tell their bosses about their use of AI tools amid fears their ability will be questioned if they do.Research for the Guardian has revealed that only 13% of UK adults openly discuss their use of AI with senior staff at work and close to half think of it as a tool to help people who are not very good at their jobs to get by.Amid widespread predictions that many workers face a fight for their jobs with AI, polling by Ipsos found that among more than 1,500 British workers aged 16 to 75, 33% said they did not discuss their use of AI to help them at work with bosses or other more senior colleagues. They were less coy with people at the same level, but a quarter of people believe “co-workers will question my ability to perform my role if I share how I use AI”

Scandinavia holds off Rahiebb as No 3 jockey Tom Marquand takes St Leger

Aidan O’Brien’s pre-eminence in European racing over the last 20 years has been so unrelenting that it can sometimes be taken for granted, but even by Ballydoyle’s standards, the 2025 season is turning into an extraordinary campaign that could match, or even surpass, the record-breaking 2017 when he saddled 28 Group One winners worldwide.Scandinavia was O’Brien’s 16th winner at the highest level in the St Leger here on Saturday, while Delacroix – like Scandinavia, a 2-1 favourite – took the total to 17 a couple of hours later, showing an exceptional turn of foot to win the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown under Christophe Soumillon.There is such strength in depth in O’Brien’s stable this year that Lambourn, the Derby winner, turned out to be the weakest link in his three-strong team for the Leger, as he faded into fourth after setting a strong gallop. But Lambourn and Sean Levey had, by that point, teed it up perfectly for Scandinavia and Tom Marquand to strike for home two furlongs out, and the proven stamina of the winner of the two-mile Goodwood Cup allowed him to tough it out through the final quarter as Rahiebb and Scandinavia’s stable companion, Stay True, tried and failed to close him down.Marquand was called up for the ride on Scandinavia as O’Brien grappled with a mini-crisis in his team of jockeys, after a season-ending leg injury for Ryan Moore and a 10-day suspension for Wayne Lordan, who rode Lambourn to his Derby success

Hatton warms up for Ryder Cup by surging into contention at PGA Championship

Thoughts have inevitably turned towards how Tyrrell Hatton may celebrate victory here. Not only was the Englishman denied proper euphoria when claiming the PGA Championship in 2020 – those were Covid times – but he started this week depicting himself waking up in a pool of his own vomit after qualifying for Europe’s Ryder Cup team.Hatton forms part of the European contingent who will fly to New York for a scouting mission as soon as this tournament ends. He may have a trophy for hand luggage and further partying in mind.His 64 was the standout round of day three on the West Course