By: Ali Lyon

Chief reporter Ali Lyon is the chief reporter at CityAM, responsible for covering the full gamut of business, finance and wealth news. He has been at CityAM full-time since July 2024. Get in touch with tips via email: [email protected]. Follow Ali on X: @alilyon_94

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Mandelson’s Global Counsel has been rocked by its links to Epstein. Will it survive?

February 10, 2026

Global Counsel – the lobbying shop co-founded by Peter Mandelson – was once a swashbuckling force in London’s world-leading public affairs sector. But after the extent of its links to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed by the US Department of Justice email release, clients have been severing ties and its chief executive has quit. Ali Lyon [...]
Lobbying chief urges firms not to work with unregistered agencies

February 10, 2026

The boss of the lobbying sector’s industry body has urged public affairs chiefs to stop working with agencies that have not signed up to its code of conduct, after several blue-chip companies were forced to sever ties with Peter Mandelson’s lobby firm, Global Counsel. In a draft letter seen by CityAM, PRCA chief Sarah [...]
No 10 communications chief quits as Mandelson fallout deepens

February 9, 2026

Keir Starmer’s communications chief has resigned less than six months after joining the Prime Minister’s Downing Street operation, in a further deepening of the crisis engulfing the government over Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein . Tim Allan, the founder of PR agency Portland, said in a statement he was leaving government to “allow a [...]
Boss of Mandelson’s Global Counsel quits amid Epstein file fallout

February 6, 2026

The chief executive and co-founder of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm Global Counsel has quit with immediate effect after revelations about his and his company’s connection with Jeffrey Epstein caused clients to sever or reconsider ties to the firm. Benjamin Wegg-Prosser has stepped down with immediate effect, the group’s board said in a statement, which also [...]
Starmer future speculation sparks sell-off in long-dated bonds and pound

February 5, 2026

Speculation over Keir Starmer’s future has unleashed a fresh round of market unease, with investors dumping the pound, UK equities and long-dated government bonds amid the political uncertainty. The gulf in price between the UK’s short- and long-term debt – known as the yield curve – reached its highest since 2018, in a sign investors [...]
Starmer apologises to Epstein victims over Mandelson role as Badenoch calls on PM to quit

February 5, 2026

Keir Starmer has vowed to stay on as Prime Minister, denying knowing the “depth and darkness” of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein when he appointed the disgraced politician as US ambassador. Speaking at an event in east Sussex, the Prime Minister apologised to Epstein’s victims saying he was “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies [...]
Heart and LBC owner is top of the pops with record reach

February 5, 2026

The media juggernaut behind Heart and LBC has raked in record listening hours, according to official figures, bucking a decline in linear broadcast that has seen many legacy outlets struggle. Fresh Rajar analysis found that Global, which also runs Capital and Classic FM as well as boasting a burgeoning podcast empire, landed 288m listening hours [...]
‘Look out for rich individuals’: The deep ties between Mandelson lobbying firm and Epstein

February 5, 2026

As one of London’s many eminent lobbying and advisory outfits, Peter Mandelson’s Global Counsel is well versed in what it takes to manage a reputation. Set up by the former deputy Prime Minister and Labour spin doctor Benjamin Wegg-Prosser from the embers of Labour’s 2010 general election loss, it has worked on some of the [...]
Crispin Odey firm discovered dozens of ‘inappropriate conduct claims’

February 3, 2026

Crispin Odey’s wound down hedge fund unearthed nearly 50 allegations of “inappropriate conduct” made by female staff about the disgraced hedge fund manager during an internal investigation, newly released court filings show. In evidence submitted by the Financial Conduct Authority, the founder of Odey Asset Management is accused of engaging in at least 46 instances [...]
Non-dom exodus: Top London dealmaker quits UK for Switzerland

February 3, 2026

One of London’s most successful private equity dealmakers has left the UK for Switzerland, adding to the wave of wealthy individuals quitting Britain in the wake of the government’s crackdown on wealth. Kurt Bjorklund, the executive chair of Permira who until recently was the buyout giant’s managing partner, relocated to the low-tax jurisdiction in the [...]

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The best places to eat sandwiches in Lisbon, from bifanas to pregos

By: Ali Lyon

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