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 a crowd attending a “unite the kingdom” rally in London, organised by the far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.Musk, the owner of X, who dialled in via a video link and spoke to Robinson while thousands watched and listened, also railed against the “woke mind virus” and told the crowd that “violence is coming” and that “you either fight back or you die”.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”

Somerset pull off record chase against Hampshire to claim T20 Blast title

Will Smeed, with the help of some late-night umpty from Sean Dickson and Lewis Gregory, carried Somerset to a thrilling victory in the T20 Blast final, as they hauled in a record-breaking run-chase against Hampshire that one moment silenced the crowd, the next had them roaring each pin ball flying into, or sometimes over, the stands.“It’s unbelievable,” said Smeed as the smoke from the celebration fireworks drifted into the night, 94 runs in one pocket, player-of-the-match award in the other.“We set out at the start of the year to win the competition, and we’re glad we’ve done that. We’ve got match-winners one to 11. There’s a lot of role clarity

Gout Gout’s future races towards him as he introduces himself to the world | Jack Snape

In the arc of life, childhood slips by in an instant. Faster, if you are Gout Gout. Already the swiftest in Australia, he is crouched on the cusp of adulthood, soon to cross the threshold into what may come next. The 17-year-old sprinter will not complete high school in Brisbane’s suburbs until the end of this year, but in the sporting realm he graduates this week. At his first major senior meet, the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, expectations abound