Here’s your UK news roundup for Friday (17 April 2026):
Public told to embrace AI as government makes first £500 million fund investment
The UK technology secretary has urged the country to “make AI work for Britain”, brushing off fears about its impact on jobs and cybersecurity as the government announced its first investment under a £500 million sovereign AI fund. Liz Kendall said the UK had to “seize” the opportunity offered by AI despite concerns underlined this month when US startup Anthropic revealed it had developed an AI model that posed a potentially significant cyber threat. [Guardian]
Huge rise in workers tipping off HMRC about their boss underpaying staff
More people are reporting their employer for underpaying staff, data shared exclusively with Money has shown. A total of 7,622 tip-offs about bosses failing to pay workers the national minimum wage were made to HMRC last year, according to figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by TWM Solicitors. That’s up 360% since 2020/21, when 1,656 reports were made to the tax office. [Sky News]
UK international enrolments down 30% year on year
According to a new survey by the British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA), enrolments across UK universities were down by an average of 31% compared with January 2025, with the steepest declines reported across South Asian markets. Some 70% of UK universities reported a fall in international students starting postgraduate courses in the January 2026 intake, as institutions tighten recruitment ahead of tougher visa compliance rules due to come into force this summer. [The Pie]
Rising value of Pokémon cards sparks smash-and-grab crime spree
A series of smash-and-grab robberies have hit Pokémon card shops across the UK as the increasingly popular collectible cards soar in value. Celestial Collectibles in Warrington, Cheshire is one of the latest stores to be targeted after robberies in Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough and Nottingham among others in recent weeks. Shops have seen stock worth tens of thousands of pounds stolen. Cheshire Constabulary told the BBC it was in contact with police in the north west and around the UK about the issue. [BBC]
Financial news
On Friday, Oil was trading higher at $97.99. The pound is trading at $1.35, €1.15, and ¥9.22.
Leave a Reply