My neurodivergent self is super happy with this review in @thetimes by John Dugdale of my new thriller, The Kill Switch, which will be published on Thursday 16 July: “In this enthralling mash-up of whodunnit, political thriller, sci-fi and psychological novel (Gil is attacked too, with radical effects on his brain), AI is compellingly portrayed as inexorably corrupting the worlds the duo move between: Westminster, business and the media…In the last outing of his neurodivergent alter ego, Robert Peston has cracked it, finding a narrative method that works and a huge topical subject he handles impressively.”

Four great thrillers to read this July

thetimes.com/article/f1b99b…

Henry Nowak: What political action will there be? New Talking Politics youtu.be/Uu7hsiyIpgM?si… via @YouTube

Exclusive: In a message to staff, Poundland’s boss hails an £86m turnaround in the retailer’s fortunes.

But for almost two weeks, Poundland has been unable to buy new stock because its owner, Gordon Brothers, has restricted access to funding.

The business is selling what it has but cannot replenish its shelves. And administration looms.

What a mess. Full story 👇

itv.com/news/2026-11-0…

How close is a global financial meltdown? Steph and I evaluate with Azeem Azhar - @azeem

open.spotify.com/episode/4lq5km…

How close is a global markets crash? I discuss with @azeem. New The Rest is Money youtu.be/fj91AtG54YQ?si… via @YouTube

How close is a global markets crash? New Rest is Money chat with @azeem

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the…

With confidence in stocks and debt linked to the AI boom already shaken and uncomfortably close to panicky, it is hard to overstate the significance of the Nvidia board’s investigation into Huang’s affair and that he was a target of Chinese espionage. No single business leader is boom than Huang @business

How close is a global markets crash? New Rest is Money chat with @azeem

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the…

How close is a global markets crash? I discuss with @azeem. New The Rest is Money youtu.be/fj91AtG54YQ?si… via @YouTube

How close is a global financial meltdown? Steph and I evaluate with Azeem Azhar - @azeem

open.spotify.com/episode/4lq5km…

Should the Democrats move to impeach Donald Trump? 🏛️

And what does the midterm defeat mean for US foreign policy? 🇺🇸

Watch the FULL interview between @Peston and @jahimes on YouTube 📺

youtu.be/JTwhaHY2PJw?si…

#Peston

“I’m pleased that Andy Burnham has reopened this debate”

Former No.10 Director of Communications @campbellclaret says a referendum on rejoining the EU isn’t an ‘absolute given’

#Peston

“I think Vance is done”

Former No.10 Director of Communications @campbellclaret says JD Vance needs to distance himself from Trump to sustain his political career

#Peston

“Here’s JD Vance… sensing the opportunity to do the opposite of what VP Harris did back in the day”

Democrat Congressman @jahimes says the Vice President’s decision to blame the Republican’s poor performance in the midterms on Iran is ‘remarkable’

#Peston

‘You’d think this administration was a Bernie Sanders dream’

Democrat Congressman @jahimes says President Trump is ‘a man without any ideological grounding’

#Peston

“We’ve been given this opportunity to focus on the top pain point of the American people”

Democrat Congressman @jahimes says his party need be ‘extremely cautious’ when approaching impeachments and oversight to avoid being ‘turfed out’ at the next election

#Peston

“MAGA is today the party of aggrieved Southern white Americans, and we’re everybody else”

Congressman @jahimes says the Democrats will be ‘centre-left’ ahead of the 2028 presidential election

#Peston

“I don’t think Keir ever was a professional [politician]”

Labour MP @EmilyThornberry says Starmer was ‘very much a lawyer’ in his approach to premiership, and didn’t perceive politics as a ‘team sport’

#Peston

“Nigel doesn’t abandon his friends”

Reform UK’s @nadhimzahawi says that Nigel Farage will continue to support Trump despite his unpopularity

#Peston

Is Donald Trump losing his grip on MAGA? 🇺🇸

And could Labour really reverse Brexit without a vote? 🇪🇺

Watch the FULL interview between @Peston and @campbellclaret on YouTube 📺

youtu.be/_JEY62HyeHw?si…

#Peston

The Bank of England’s take on the contribution of AI to UK growth this year: “novel AI-related activity accounts for just under a fifth of GDP growth since the start of 2026. The contribution to growth from AI to date appears to reflect activity in the upstream development and implementation of AI technologies rather than broader gains from their adoption elsewhere in the economy. This is consistent with the impact on
productivity having been relatively small so far”. In other words, there is a lot of spending on AI in the UK but no evidence so far that it is being used to make businesses significantly more efficient. There is obviously going to be a lag before we see productivity gains. It is super unclear how long that lag will be Bank of England
Page 50
The contribution to growth from AI to date appears to reflect activity in the upstream
development and implementation of AI technologies rather than broader gains from
their adoption elsewhere in the economy. This is consistent with the impact on
productivity having been relatively small so far Bank of England
Page 50
The contribution to growth from AI to date appears to reflect activity in the upstream
development and implementation of AI technologies rather than broader gains from
their adoption elsewhere in the economy. This is consistent with the impact on
productivity having been relatively small so far