Almost half of Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet went to Oxford or Cambridge universities while over 60 per cent attended a private school.

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Chancellor Rishi Sunak all attended Oxford University.

Moreover, one in four of all Conservative MPs studied at one of the two prestigious universities, according to research that was sent to City A.M. this morning.

Employers in London have ambitious plans to increase their headcount as they enter the fourth quarter, according to new research shared with City A.M. this morning.

In fact, as the UK adapts to life post-lockdown, employers in all 12 regions of the UK expect to add to payrolls during the next three months, according to recruitment giant Manpower.

Even though London’ outlook was the lowest of all regions in the fourth quarter of last year, at minus 13 per cent, businesses in the capital now have one of the highest recruitment looks in the country, at more than 40 per cent. a 53 percentage-point increase year-on-year. 

The UK has launched an official review into EU regulation that is still in place in the UK, with Lord David Frost announcing that red tape on things like port services, vehicles and data rights is set to be slashed.

Frost, the UK’s defacto Brexit minister, told the House of Lords that the UK had been bogged down by the EU’s “legislative sausage machine” and that “this government was elected to get Brexit done and change this situation and that’s what we intend to do”.

Beijing's authorities opened an investigation into Didi for allegedly violating user privacy just days after its $4.4bn debut on the New York stock exchange in June, sending share prices tumbling 40 per cent.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for all current episodes of Marvel’s What If

New heroes, bad choices, zombies… What If has explored a number of different possibilities in thehandful of episodes so far. The majority have also ended on a bleak note – two episodes witnessedthe Avengers being wiped out, while one saw an entire reality destroyed. The series’ ruthless streakcontinues this week as a baddie from the past gets his spotlight.

We start with our clearest look at The Watcher so far. He resembles voice actor Jeffrey Wright (if hehad a bulbous head and glowing white eyes), raising questions as to whether this is building up to alive action appearance either in the movies or the series finale? The mid-season sneak peak belowsuggests a team up of sorts…

Challenger broadband firm CityFibre has rallied £1.1bn in fresh capital in its bid to muscle in on BT’s market share.

The London-based company has sold off its £825m stake to Interogo Holdings, the Swiss-based firm that bankrolls Ikea and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, according to The Telegraph. 

The figure also includes a £300m extension to CityFibre’s £820m bank loan agreements and will help the firm finance its plans to upgrade 8m homes to faster internet amid prime minister Boris Johnson’s push for better broadband.

A plastic surgery boom that started during lockdown is not expected to slow down as workers continue to use video calling platforms such as Zoom and Skype, experts have told City A.M.

Everything from breast augmentation and rhinoplasty to Botox injections and facelifts. cosmetic procedures have risen at an astounding rate since the start of the pandemic, according to the Aesthetic Society.

Breast augmentation and Brazilian Butt Lifts are the top surgeries being performed; however, liposuction, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery and facelifts are also on the rise.

Johnson will fill dozens of ministerial roles that sit under the secretary of state in each department, after a dramatic day of changes in the Prime Minister's top team yesterday. (Getty Images)

TV personality Jeremy Clarkson has called on the government to protect Britain’s food supplies just as the country is defended from attacks from foreign powers by its armed forces.

Speaking at an event in Westminster hosted by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) earlier today, Clarkson urged the Government to commit to not let Britain’s self-sufficiency in food production slip below its current level of 60 per cent.

The NFU also wants more British food in public sector catering such as schools and hospitals, action to increase home-grown produce and help for consumers to buy British through filters and better labelling of online groceries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will continue self-isolating after dozens of his closest staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Earlier this week the Kremlin announced that Putin would begin self-isolating after someone in his inner circle, who the President had spent an entire day with, was infected. While Putin has reportedly tested negative for the virus and is fully vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V. he said that the outbreak amongst key staff is extensive.

“Cases of coronavirus have been identified in my immediate environment, and this is not one, not two, but several tens of people. Now we have to observe the self-isolation regime for several days,” he said on a video call at a meeting of the Russia-led Collective Treaty Security Organization.

South London’s tube map is about to get a whole lot messier.

The opening of two new stations – Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms – means Harry Beck’s tube map masterpiece needs a makeover.

The stations will open this coming Monday as a Northern Line spur, with passengers changing at Kennington.

Rapid Covid-19 testing developer Prenetics is set to merge with blank-check firm Artisan Acquisition in a SPAC deal that will take it public.

Alibaba-backed Prenetics, a Hong Kong based firm valued at $1.25bn, is looking to list on the US’ Nasdaq as a freshly combined firm by the end of the year or the beginning of 2022, Bloomberg first reported.

The SPAC deal, which will see Prenetics listed under the ticker PRE, is also set to raise an extra $120m in funds to help pay for the transaction.

Marks & Spencer will shut 11 of its French stores because of supply issues with fresh and chilled foods after Brexit.

The supermarket said it would close all franchise stores operated with partner SFH in the country by the end of the year.

Nine stores at travel hubs would remain open but supply chain problems meant there was “no workable alternative” for high street stores.

The so-called tax gap - the difference between the amount of tax that should be paid and what is actually paid - reached £35bn last year, representing 5.3 per cent of all tax that should be collected

Online fashion retailer Asos has set out plans to minimise its impact on the planet over the next few years.

Under its Fashion with Integrity (“FWI”) 2030 programme, the company intends to become a verified net zero emissions business and use more sustainable and recycled materials by 2030. 

Consumers are increasingly concerned with fast fashion’s impact on the environment while  the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh in 2013 caused a spotlight to be pointed at textile factory conditions.

The Financial Conduct Authority has issued formal warnings to three traders from an unnamed bank who carried out market abuse around the time of the 2016 Brexit vote.

The FCA accused the individuals of ‘spoofing,’ a practice where traders place orders on financial assets they do not intend to complete in order to manipulate markets.

In this case, the traders worked separately and together to place large futures orders on assets which pushed their price upwards. They then placed smaller, genuine orders on the assets to profit from the price increase.

Boris Johnson has hailed the newly signed UK and US agreement to build Australian nuclear submarines as creating an “inseparable” partnership, which will “accelerate” the creation of a range of cyber and AI-based defence systems.

Johnson told MPs today that the agreement will enhance “security” and ensure “regional stability” in the Indo-Pacific in remarks aimed at China.

Almost half of Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet went to Oxford or Cambridge universities while over 60 per cent attended a private school.

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Chancellor Rishi Sunak all attended Oxford University.

Moreover, one in four of all Conservative MPs studied at one of the two prestigious universities, according to research that was sent to City A.M. this morning.

The number of digital tools that promise to deliver better outcomes in healthcare are proliferating at a breathtaking pace. While healthtech promises to solve a lot of our woes, the speed of evolution is vastly outpacing the rules to ensure promises on efficacy – and safety – are kept. 

Online symptom checkers are widely used. These tools are used to help diagnose and triage patients more efficiently. Given many have been unable to attend in-person appointments with GPs, the adoption and reliance on symptom checkers has grown dramatically following the onset of the pandemic. When used properly, they can make a real impact on the patient experience and clinical capacity. They can also do the complete opposite if they return an inaccurate diagnosis, or recommend an unnecessary trip to the GP – or worse, A&E.

Bitcoin is back above $48k again this morning, as bulls eye another chance to creep over the psychologically-important $50k mark.

Yesterday saw the leading cryptocurrency hold above the $46,000 support level, but can it use the level as a springboard as we head into the weekend?

Yesterday saw inflation begin to bite, with an increase from two per cent to 3.2 per cent in the UK – the largest monthly increase in recorded history.

The broadband heavyweight in July issued a bullish forecast for its prospects for the rest of the year, despite posting a decline in revenue and pre-tax profit in the first quarter. (Getty Images)

Empty supermarket shelves. Supermarkets across the UK are emptying of fresh produce and household staples as Brexit Lorry shortages combined with large numbers of staff isolating due to Covid are frustrating efforts to restock shelves. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)