Author: SKYNEWS

An investment vehicle founded by one of Britain’s most prominent venture capitalists is in advanced talks to buy a portfolio of stakes in some of the country’s most promising technology companies.Sky News has learnt that Lexham Partners, which was established this year by Dominic Perks, is close to agreeing a deal to acquire shareholdings in companies including Paragraf, the graphene-based electronic device company, and Nexeon, a battery technology specialist, from London-listed IP Group. A person close to IP Group said a transaction could be agreed as soon as this week.Money latest: Drivers could save £50 on cover after compensation changesLexham…

Celebrity Masterchef contestant Melanie Sykes has criticised the TV industry in the wake of the allegations made about host Gregg Wallace, saying it is up to bosses to act on unprofessional behaviour and not let one person be a “scapegoat”.The former TV presenter and broadcaster, who rose to fame on shows including The Big Breakfast and Today With Des And Mel in the 1990s and 2000s, appeared on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021. She wrote about her experience on the show in her autobiography Illuminated, released in 2023, and how she decided to walk away from show business afterwards. Image: Pic:…

The sleepy Jaguar has had a sudden awakening. After months of gentle provocation, the British carmaker has unveiled its latest model: a fully electric “concept with bold forms and exuberant proportions to inspire future Jaguars”. As to be expected we’ve been bombarded with marketing speak alongside the launch of the Type 00, the biggest rebrand in the company’s 102-year history.The car is “striking through imitation and the ordinary” but isn’t to everyone’s taste. Some people decided they didn’t like it before they even saw it because of an advert published last month.The car didn’t actually feature in the advert at…

Hundreds of people in England with a rare form of eye cancer are set to have access to a “pioneering” drug, the NHS has announced.Following approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma can now be offered a drug called tebentafusp. The cancer is thought to affect between 500 and 600 people in the UK each year, and develops from cells in the middle layer of the eye.Once it has spread to major organs, the disease is almost always fatal, according to the NHS.NICE announced on Tuesday that it has recommended tebentafusp…

Reports of the BBC’s handling of complaints about MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace are “deeply troubling”, the head of a TV workers’ union has said.Wallace has stepped back from presenting the BBC cooking show after accusations he made sexual comments towards staff and celebrity guests on a range of programmes over 17 years. At the weekend, the presenter issued a defiant response to mounting allegations against him, dismissing his accusers as “middle-class women of a certain age” in a series of videos posted on Instagram. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:09 Gregg Wallace responds to complaints…

The chief executive of Vauxhall’s parent company has abruptly resigned, just days after the car brand’s factory in Luton was slated for closure.Previously regarded as one of the most respected figures in the auto industry, Carlos Tavares came under scrutiny after Stellantis issued a profit warning in September. The firm – which also makes Jeep, Fiat and Peugeot – has lost around 40% of its share value this year, with most of the damage coming from the North American market.Money blog: 54 UK areas where Lifetime ISAs could lose you moneyAnd the company had warned of a need to spur…

A man has been arrested on suspicion of rape at The Groucho Club, the celebrity haunt in London that was closed this week.The man, aged 34, was arrested on Saturday night at an address in Hertfordshire, the Metropolitan Police said. “At this stage, there is no suggestion that employees of the venue were involved in the commission of the offence,” a statement said.The Groucho Club, a private members’ club in Dean Street, Soho, had its licence suspended by Westminster City Council on Tuesday after a request by the police force.A full hearing must take place within 28 days from when…

It was hailed as an AI assistant that can go to meetings for you – and soon it could be used to help MPs carry out their mounting workload. Parliament’s digital services department (PDS) is undertaking a cost-benefit analysis of Microsoft’s CoPilot Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, which can draft your emails and take notes during calls – even if you’re not there. That’s just a few of its ChatGPT-like features, including creating PowerPoint presentations and writing Word documents almost from scratch.Labour MP Nick Smith, a member of the House of Commons Commission, has revealed that PDS is “actively exploring” its…

People from all parts of the UK, representing all age groups including a significant majority of Labour voters, believe the rate of inflation will increase in the next year across a range of categories, from bills and shopping to going out.Almost three quarters (71%) of those surveyed between 22 and 25 November expect the rate of inflation to increase. They also appear to have become markedly more worried about this than at the start of the year, when the figure was at 40%, or two in five people. “The cost of living was a real problem for the last Conservative…

It was once the venue of choice for the London glitterati but it appears the party is over for famed celebrity haunt The Groucho Club.The club’s licence has now been suspended by Westminster City Council after a request by the Metropolitan Police. Neither the police, nor the club itself, have shed any light on the “serious criminal offence” that forced it to close its doors, but it is not the first time the venue has been dogged with claims of illegality.In its heyday, an upstairs room was apparently nicknamed the Peruvian Procurement Department, such was its reputation for the alleged…