London desk

Filed from the London desk — including multi-city pieces that also ran elsewhere.

Business · 7 October 2026

Royal Mail to Axe 2,500 Jobs, Leaves Postmen With More Time for Reading Mail

Iris Quay, London desk

Royal Mail plans to cut 2,500 non‑front‑line jobs by 2027, sparing sorting‑room staff but leaving office positions, including the coffee machine, in danger.

Sports · 7 October 2026

Arteta signs Arsenal extension to 2030, becoming highest paid Premier League manager

Celia Marsh, London desk

Mikel Arteta has signed a new contract with Arsenal running until 2030, making him the highest-paid manager in the Premier League and the club's third-longest-serving boss.

Finance · 7 October 2026

Brent Tops $101, French Borrowing Costs Jump as IMF Flags Energy Shock, Debt and AI Risks

Iris Quay, London desk

Brent crude rose above $101 a barrel as French government borrowing costs surged, wiping out Tuesday’s dip. The IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva warned that an energy shock, rising public debt and a rapid AI expansion co…

Politics · 7 October 2026

Badenoch’s Inheritance Tax Cut: The Conservative Train to Fiscal Reform Lags Behind

Reginald Penny, London desk

At the Tory conference Kemi Badenoch unveiled a proposal to cut inheritance tax and framed it as part of a wider "battle of ideas" on public spending. The announcement was presented as a fresh start for the Conservatives…

Finance · 7 October 2026

S&P 500 tops 7,800 as Nasdaq hits record, AI chip rally fuels gains

Iris Quay, London desk

The S&P 500 closed above 7,800 for the first time, with the Nasdaq also reaching a record high. A rally in AI chipmakers and a dip in U.S. Treasury yields drove the market higher, even as investors remain cautious about…

World · 7 October 2026

Seventh Arrest Made: 22‑Year‑Old Londoner Linked to RAF Fairford Incident

Iris Quay, London desk

A 22‑year‑old from London is the seventh person arrested by counter‑terrorism police in connection with an incident at RAF Fairford last month. Police have not disclosed further details of the alleged offence.

Health · 7 October 2026

Britain’s million‑strong never‑smokers trade ash for vapor

Celia Marsh, London desk

More than a million adults in Great Britain who have never smoked are now regular vapers, a figure that has nearly doubled in four years, and for the second year running, vaping outnumbers smoking among those aged 16 and…

Sports · 6 October 2026

Alcaraz Snatches Japan Open Title in 7-6, 6-4 Thriller

Celia Marsh, London desk

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6, 6-4 to claim his first individual title since February at the Japan Open, capping a comeback from a right wrist injury while Jannik Sinner sits out the rest of the year with a kn…

World · 6 October 2026

Former German Spy Chief Arrested: Hanning’s Secret Stash Now in Handcuffs

Iris Quay, London desk

Former Federal Intelligence Service president August Hanning, who led the BND from 1998 to 2005, was arrested on Tuesday on accusations of espionage and treason for allegedly passing classified information to a foreign…