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A record number of Americans applied for British citizenship in the first quarter of 2025, coinciding with the start of Donald Trump’s second term as US President, according to new data from the UK Home Office.
Between January and March, 1,931 US citizens submitted applications for UK citizenship, marking the highest quarterly total since records began in 2004 and a 12% rise on the previous quarter. The surge follows a similar uptick during the final three months of 2024, which aligned with Trump’s re-election.
The figures point to growing interest among Americans in establishing long-term residence in Britain, with a record 5,500 US nationals granted settled status in 2024 — up 20% on the previous year. Settled status grants the right to live, work, and study in the UK indefinitely and can serve as a pathway to citizenship.
The last comparable spike in US-to-UK migration came in 2020, during Trump’s first term and at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when discontent over the US political climate, public health response, and cross-border tax burdens drove many Americans abroad.
That year also saw a record number of Americans formally renounce their US citizenship, with more than 5,800 giving up their passports in the first half of 2020 alone — nearly triple the number for all of 2019, according to figures compiled by Bambridge Accountants, a firm specialising in international tax.
“These are mainly people who already left the US and just decided they’ve had enough of everything,” said Alistair Bambridge, a partner at the firm, in a 2020 interview.
“While political and pandemic-related frustrations were key factors, the complexity of the US tax system for expats is often the final straw.”
While more Americans appear to be eyeing life in the UK and Europe, pathways to citizenship are becoming more limited. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last week that the government will introduce tougher requirements for legal migrants, including longer wait times before newcomers can apply for citizenship.
Meanwhile, Italy introduced new legislation this week that removes the right to citizenship through great-grandparents, closing a popular route for Americans with Italian ancestry. Italy has also tightened visa requirements for non-EU nationals in recent months, aligning with a broader European trend of stricter migration controls.
Despite the changing legal landscape, Britain’s status as a culturally familiar, English-speaking destination with strong institutions and healthcare continues to make it an attractive option for US expats seeking greater stability or a permanent move abroad.
As Trump’s second term unfolds, immigration and citizenship professionals will be watching closely to see whether this early spike in applications represents a sustained migration trend — or a short-term reaction to political uncertainty at home.
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Record number of Americans apply for UK citizenship as Trump begins second term

Millions of households across the UK will see some relief on their energy bills this summer, after energy regulator Ofgem announced a 7% cut to the price cap, reducing the average annual bill to £1,720 from July 1.
The £129 drop follows a sharp 6.4% rise in April, which had pushed average annual bills to £1,849. The upcoming reduction reflects a significant fall in wholesale gas prices, which Ofgem said accounted for around 90% of the cut, with the remainder due to changes in supplier operating costs.
The cap, which limits the maximum suppliers can charge per unit of gas and electricity for customers on standard variable tariffs, will apply across England, Wales and Scotland. It does not apply in Northern Ireland, which has its own energy market structure.
The fall in wholesale energy prices has been driven by a mix of geopolitical and seasonal factors, including milder spring weather, and renewed fears over global economic growth following President Trump’s recent tariff announcements.
However, analysts at Cornwall Insight warned that while further falls may follow in the next two quarters, these remain highly contingent on unpredictable variables such as weather patterns, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and global trade tensions.
Despite the price cap reduction, energy bills remain £152 higher than in July 2023, and 52% above pre-crisis levels, according to Citizens Advice. The charity estimates that nearly seven million people in the UK are behind on their energy bills, and has renewed its call for the government to introduce targeted support and home energy efficiency upgrades.
“This drop in energy prices will ease the burden for some households, but bills are still significantly higher than before the crisis,” said Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice.
“The government must provide more targeted bill support and invest in upgrading five million homes with energy-saving measures.”
Tim Jarvis, Ofgem’s Director General of Markets, welcomed the reduction but acknowledged that many households continue to struggle.
“A fall in the price cap will be welcome news for consumers and reflects a reduction in the international price of wholesale gas,” he said. “However, we’re acutely aware that prices remain high.
“You don’t have to pay the price cap — better deals are out there. Shop around, talk to your supplier, and consider switching to direct debit or smart pay-as-you-go, which could save up to £136 a year.”
According to Ofgem, 35% of households are now on fixed tariffs, up from 15% last year, as more competitive deals return to the market. Consumer groups and price comparison services are encouraging households to compare tariffs and lock in savings while prices are falling.
Amid record levels of energy debt, suppliers are pressing the government to introduce a “social tariff” to protect the most financially vulnerable. Jarvis confirmed that Ofgem is “doing everything we can to support consumers today”, including developing reforms to standing charges and exploring new ways to help households trapped in debt.
“We are pushing ahead with more changes to help consumers this winter,” he said.
Introduced in 2019, the energy price cap is reviewed quarterly and is designed to protect consumers who don’t regularly switch suppliers from being overcharged on standard variable tariffs. While it has shielded many from price gouging, critics argue that more targeted support for low-income households is urgently needed to address the long-term affordability crisis.
As energy prices show tentative signs of easing, the pressure is now on both the government and regulator to ensure support reaches those most in need — and to future-proof the energy market for what could still be a volatile winter ahead.
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UK energy bills to fall by £129 from July as Ofgem cuts price cap by 7%

OnlyFans, the content subscription platform best known for its ties to the adult entertainment industry, could soon have new owners.
According to reports, a US investor group led by Los Angeles-based Forest Road Company is in talks to acquire the London-headquartered platform for up to $8 billion.
The sale would mark a significant exit for Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who bought a majority stake in Fenix International, OnlyFans’ parent company, in 2018. Since then, Radvinsky has reportedly claimed over $1 billion in dividends from the company, according to corporate filings.
News of the talks was first reported by Reuters, while the New York Post has also claimed that Radvinsky has been seeking to offload the business, with previous efforts hampered by the site’s close association with adult content creators. The Post estimated earlier potential valuations for a sale to be in the range of $1.46 billion to $2.42 billion, well below the reported $8 billion figure now being considered.
Founded in 2016 by London-based entrepreneur Tim Stokely, OnlyFans was originally conceived as a way for musicians, influencers, and content creators to monetise their audiences through paid subscriptions. The platform surged in popularity after lifting a brief ban on adult content, quickly becoming a hub for independent adult performers as well as high-profile figures from outside the adult industry.
Today, OnlyFans boasts over 4 million creators producing content for a global audience of 300 million subscribers, with around $6.6 billion in annual payments processed through the platform. The company employs approximately 40 staff and recently reported $1.3 billion in annual revenue in its latest UK filings.
“OnlyFans is a revolutionary platform which continues to lead the creator economy,” a company spokesperson told the New York Post. “As with any business of this scale it is natural that we are open to discussions about how we continue to build on our success.”
From niche platform to billion-dollar empire
Tim Stokely, who served as CEO until December 2021, co-founded the business alongside his father Gus. After its acquisition by Radvinsky, the platform experienced explosive growth — particularly during the pandemic — emerging as a leading player in the creator economy.
Despite its success, OnlyFans has long faced reputational challenges due to its adult content. In 2021, the platform briefly announced a ban on sexually explicit material, only to reverse the decision days later following backlash from its user base.
While some investors have been reportedly wary of the platform’s association with adult content, others see the company as a rare profitable unicorn in the creator tech space — and one with strong, recurring revenues and a lean cost base.
If completed, the sale of OnlyFans at such a valuation would represent a major milestone in the evolution of direct-to-consumer content platforms, validating their long-term viability and potential for institutional investment — despite ongoing societal and regulatory scrutiny.
Forest Road Company, which has previously backed ventures in media, sports, and entertainment, has not commented on the reported discussions.
Whether the deal materialises at the reported $8 billion price tag — or faces further hurdles — it highlights the enduring financial power of platforms that enable creators to monetise their audiences on their own terms. For OnlyFans, it could mark the start of a new chapter in its controversial but commercially compelling story.
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US investor group in talks to buy OnlyFans in deal reportedly worth up to $8bn

Artificial intelligence systems could account for nearly half of all power consumption in global datacentres by the end of this year, according to new research — fuelling growing concerns over the environmental impact of AI technologies.
The analysis, conducted by Alex de Vries-Gao, founder of the Digiconomist tech sustainability platform, suggests that AI could represent up to 49% of total datacentre energy use by the end of 2025. The study is due to be published in the energy journal Joule and comes just days after the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast that AI could require nearly as much electricity by the end of the decade as Japan consumes today.
Based on electricity drawn by chips from major AI hardware providers including Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom, the research estimates that AI currently accounts for around 20% of total datacentre energy consumption — already a significant slice of the 415 terawatt hours (TWh) used by data centres globally last year, according to the IEA (excluding cryptocurrency mining).
De Vries-Gao factored in variables such as hardware efficiency, cooling systems, and workload intensity to estimate AI’s growing share of demand. He warns that the pace of expansion in AI hardware and model training could soon drive AI-specific energy consumption to 23 gigawatts — more than twice the total power usage of the Netherlands.
“These innovations can reduce the computational and energy costs of AI,” said De Vries-Gao. “But efficiency gains can also encourage wider adoption — and ultimately more energy use.”
The analysis comes amid a rapid surge in sovereign AI initiatives, with countries investing in their own AI infrastructure — a trend likely to increase global hardware demand. One example cited is Crusoe Energy, a US-based startup that recently secured 4.5GW of gas-powered capacity for new datacentres, with OpenAI reportedly a potential customer via its Stargate joint venture.
On Thursday, OpenAI confirmed the launch of its first Stargate facility outside the US, in the United Arab Emirates. De Vries-Gao warned such developments could exacerbate dependence on fossil fuels, undermining the green ambitions of leading AI companies.
Both Microsoft and Google have admitted that their aggressive AI expansion efforts are threatening their internal environmental targets, as the energy footprint of AI workloads grows beyond projections.
Despite growing concerns, De Vries-Gao said data on AI’s operational power consumption remains scarce, calling the sector “an opaque industry.” While the EU AI Act will soon require companies to disclose training energy consumption, it does not mandate reporting on the energy used to run AI models daily — which is increasingly a major contributor to ongoing emissions.
“We urgently need more transparency on the energy cost of AI,” said Prof Adam Sobey, sustainability director at the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national AI research body.
Sobey added that although the front-end energy consumption of AI is high, the technology could still play a role in reducing carbon emissions elsewhere, particularly in sectors such as transport and energy, where AI-powered optimisation tools can lead to significant savings.
“I suspect we don’t need many very good use cases to offset the energy being used on the front end,” Sobey said.
As governments, investors, and companies push further into AI development, the findings underscore the need for greater visibility, regulation, and innovation to balance AI’s transformative promise with its growing environmental footprint.
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AI could consume nearly half of global datacentre power by year-end, new analysis warns

The UK government is considering selling the Sevington border control post in Kent, a facility built for post-Brexit customs checks, following this week’s UK-EU trade pact that could render dozens of similar sites redundant.
Constructed in 2021 at a cost of tens of millions, the Sevington site near Ashford was designed to process up to 1,300 lorries per day, primarily for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on products like meat, dairy, and plant-based goods. However, the new trade agreement between the UK and the EU is expected to eliminate the need for routine health and veterinary certification on a wide range of goods, from fresh produce and timber to wool and leather.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is now understood to be in discussions with private sector players to offload the site. According to reports in the Financial Times, the government has approached Eurotunnel as a potential buyer. The Port of Dover, which has held longstanding interest in the facility, is also said to be in the running.
“Clearly there is a lot of detail to work through on how that’s to be implemented and we’re keen to continue our discussions with government for what this means for the BCP at Sevington,” said Doug Bannister, Chief Executive of the Port of Dover.
Sevington is just one of over 100 border control posts (BCPs) built or upgraded in the wake of Brexit, many of them with government funding or built to government specifications to prepare for the expected volume of import checks. But with the UK-EU deal promising to streamline or remove many SPS checks, up to 41 of these facilities may now be surplus to requirements.
One of the starkest examples is Portsmouth’s £25 million BCP, which may have to be demolished. The site — built at the UK’s second busiest cross-Channel terminal — features air-lock quarantine zones, 14 lorry bays, and 8,000 sq metres of inspection space, designed to handle 80 checks per day. But since opening in April 2023, it has averaged just three checks daily due to the Conservative government’s previous relaxation of post-Brexit import rules.
It remains unclear whether all checks will be scrapped under the new UK-EU agreement. Live animal inspections and other high-risk goods may still require dedicated facilities. A final decision on which BCPs will be mothballed or sold is likely to depend on how the deal is implemented in practice over the coming months.
In a statement, a government spokesperson said: “This government committed in its manifesto to negotiate an agreement to prevent unnecessary border checks, remove red tape for businesses and help tackle the cost of food — which is what we have delivered on.”
Eurotunnel declined to comment, while industry stakeholders await clarity on which facilities may be retained, sold, or shut down entirely.
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Government considers selling Kent Brexit border checkpoint amid EU trade deal shake-up

Fast-growing self storage operator Pink Storage has completed a £1.5 million investment into a newly acquired site in Nottingham, marking the latest milestone in its ambitious UK expansion strategy.
The deal includes the £1.1 million acquisition of StoreWise, a 102-unit storage facility situated on a 1.3-acre site, alongside an additional £370,000 earmarked for upgrades. The investment will bring the site in line with Pink Storage’s technology-first, customer-centric model, and includes plans to add 150 new units, significantly boosting capacity and access for customers in the East Midlands.
With the acquisition, Pink Storage’s network has grown to 22 locations nationwide, representing a 22% increase in its portfolio this year alone.
The former StoreWise facility is already undergoing a comprehensive rebrand, with Pink Storage’s signature pink livery set to take over by the end of September 2025. While works are ongoing, the site remains fully operational, with no disruption to current customers.
Planned upgrades include resurfaced roadways, automated number plate recognition (ANPR), 24/7 CCTV surveillance, and instant digital access via online sign-up and secure PIN codes — part of Pink Storage’s mission to offer one of the most accessible and technologically advanced storage solutions in the UK.
Around 100 existing StoreWise clients are being smoothly transitioned to Pink Storage’s platform, and the company has retained the site’s longstanding manager, who brings more than a decade of industry experience to the role.
“This acquisition is the latest step toward becoming the UK’s most accessible and technologically advanced self storage provider,” said Scott Evans, CEO and founder of Pink Storage.
“By investing, expanding, and combining our expertise with StoreWise’s strong local presence, we’re delivering an upgraded storage experience in the East Midlands. Our goal is to finish 2025 with an even broader footprint across the UK.”
The Nottingham site is the fourth new location added to Pink Storage’s estate this year, strengthening its reach in the Midlands and North of England. The company has signalled it is actively seeking further acquisition opportunities, encouraging storage business owners considering a sale to come forward.
With a focus on digital convenience, scalable growth, and regional investment, Pink Storage is positioning itself as a major player in the next generation of UK self storage — one that blends user-friendly technology with on-the-ground expertise.
The acquisition underscores Pink Storage’s continued momentum in a rapidly evolving sector, where convenience, security, and seamless digital access are becoming central to customer expectations. The company’s leadership says it remains committed to further growth, driven by smart investments and strategic expansion into underserved regions.
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Pink Storage expands into Nottingham with £1.5m investment following StoreWise acquisition

In a dramatic departure from its traditional focus on calorie counting and group weigh-ins, WeightWatchers has announced a new strategic partnership in the UK with CheqUp, a provider of GLP-1 weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
The move marks a major shift for the iconic brand, which is now aligning itself with the booming market for anti-obesity injections.
The partnership comes just weeks after WeightWatchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, a move driven by mounting debts and a declining customer base, as more people turn to medication rather than meal plans for weight loss.
Under the agreement, CheqUp patients prescribed GLP-1 medications will gain access to a customised version of the WeightWatchers app, designed specifically to support those on weight-loss injections. The platform offers expert-guided food recommendations, aimed at reducing medication side effects like nausea while promoting healthy, sustainable weight loss.
“The data is clear — our members on obesity medications who also participate in our nutritional and behavioural lifestyle programme lose 11% more weight on average than those using the medication alone,” said Scott Honken, Chief Commercial Officer at WeightWatchers.
The company, which rebranded as WW in 2018, once boasted celebrity backers including Oprah Winfrey, who became its most high-profile advocate and shareholder. But earlier this year, Winfrey announced she was leaving the company and donating her shares, shortly after revealing that her own weight-loss was achieved through the use of anti-obesity medication — rather than WW’s points-based programme.
The move to embrace weight-loss drugs is a major pivot for WeightWatchers, a brand that for decades was synonymous with non-medical, behavioural approaches to dieting. Its structured food plans, branded cookbooks, ready meals, and community-based meetings were once at the heart of the global weight-loss movement. But rising demand for prescription injections — backed by clinical trials showing significant weight loss — has changed the landscape.
GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are rapidly transforming how both patients and providers approach obesity. Despite recent enthusiasm, studies have also shown that weight tends to return once medication is stopped unless accompanied by long-term lifestyle changes — a gap WeightWatchers is aiming to fill.
“There is no doubt that the addition of WeightWatchers’ breakthrough GLP-1 companion programme will add enormously to our patients’ ability to achieve sustainable weight loss,” said James Hunt, Deputy CEO of CheqUp. “It combines science-backed tools with a global community of like-minded individuals.”
The UK partnership mirrors a similar strategy being rolled out in the US, as WeightWatchers bets its future on becoming the lifestyle partner to the global weight-loss drug industry — offering coaching, nutritional advice, and behavioural support to patients who are now choosing medication over meal plans.
While GLP-1 drug uptake in the UK remains limited compared to the US, obesity experts have urged the NHS to accelerate access to the treatments to address Britain’s growing obesity crisis — linked to rising cases of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
As the company shifts away from its legacy diet model, WeightWatchers is gambling that its next chapter lies not in telling people what to eat, but in supporting them through medical weight loss with the right tools and community.
Whether this reinvention will be enough to revive the brand’s fortunes remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: WeightWatchers has officially entered the age of prescription weight loss.
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WeightWatchers pivots from diets to drugs in UK partnership with anti-obesity treatment provider CheqUp

Artificial intelligence continues to dominate venture capital headlines — and cheques — but a new report from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) warns the surge in AI investment is masking a growing divide in the startup ecosystem, with many non-AI ventures starved of capital and so-called ‘zombiecorns’ now on the rise.
According to SVB’s State of Enterprise Software report, published Tuesday, AI-focused venture funds accounted for 40% of all U.S. VC fundraising in 2023, up from just 10% two years earlier. In enterprise software alone, AI startups attracted 45% of investment, compared to just 9% in 2022.
Much of this is being driven by megadeals — funding rounds of $100 million or more — with AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic capturing nearly half of all cash raised in the category.
“Exclude AI investment and the story changes,” the report warns. “There is no meaningful uptick for companies not leveraging AI, with investment from this group essentially flat for the last year.”
The wider market continues to suffer from tight exit conditions, a hangover from the inflation surge and interest rate hikes that began in late 2021. While there are signs of life in the tech IPO market — eToro’s recent Nasdaq debut and Hinge Health’s upcoming listing offer some encouragement — momentum remains largely concentrated in AI.
AI infrastructure firm CoreWeave, for example, saw 420% revenue growth in its first earnings report as a public company, sending its stock up 56% in a week. But similar IPO successes remain few and far between, especially outside of the AI space.
Many of the biggest AI players, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and Scale AI, have no immediate plans to go public, despite commanding sky-high private valuations. Their continued appetite for billions in infrastructure investment — with no near-term returns — has made it difficult for venture firms to realise gains, leaving little left to support startups in other sectors.
This imbalance has helped fuel the rise of the ‘zombiecorn’ — a term SVB uses to describe startups that have raised substantial capital but lack sustainable revenue growth or viable business models.
“Many run the risk of ending up in no man’s land,” the report notes.
Tom Glason, CEO and co-founder at ScaleWise, said the report highlights a growing problem in the AI investment boom.
“The SVB report highlights a harsh truth: the AI boom has fuelled a wave of overfunded startups that look healthy on the surface, but are commercially hollow underneath,” Glason said. “These so-called ‘zombiecorns’ raise huge rounds but fail to build sustainable revenue or viable unit economics.”
Glason argues that too many founders are mistaking capital raised for market traction — a costly error in a market that increasingly demands disciplined go-to-market strategies, not just product hype.
“The gap is widening between well-funded AI startups and those actually ready to scale,” he added. “In today’s market, growth alone isn’t enough. Without a clear Ideal Customer Profile, repeatable sales motion, and structured execution, even the most hyped AI company risks becoming a cautionary tale.”
Hopes that President Trump’s return to the White House would boost the startup scene — via tax cuts and deregulation — have been tempered by his aggressive new tariff policies, announced in April. Several companies have already delayed planned IPOs in response to the uncertainty.
SVB, now part of First Citizens Bank following its collapse in 2023, concludes the report by saying that a return to robust exit activity is essential to reignite venture returns and fuel the next wave of startup growth.
For now, though, AI remains the hottest ticket in town — but one that increasingly risks burning out those who mistake funding for fundamentals.
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AI cash boom masks rise of ‘zombiecorns’ as funding gaps widen in startup ecosystem

London-based battery tech start-up Sention Technologies has raised £3.7 million in a seed funding round to accelerate the commercialisation of its cutting-edge diagnostic tools for the battery industry.
The round, led by Twin Path Ventures, attracted backing from a strong line-up of energy and AI-focused investors, including Doral Energy-Tech Ventures, Endgame Capital, Energy Revolution Ventures, G.K. Goh Ventures, Green Angel Ventures, Third Sphere, and the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund.
Founded with the aim of tackling battery inefficiencies and safety concerns, Sention has developed a proprietary ultrasonic scanning technology that allows users to “listen” inside batteries and produce 3D visualisations of their internal structure. When paired with advanced machine learning models, the platform can predict battery health, forecast degradation, and flag critical safety risks like thermal runaway.
The company says the new capital will be used to bring its Senturion benchtop ultrasound device and Sentinel, its AI-powered diagnostics software, to market. Funds will also support R&D on a third product — Sentry — designed for real-time diagnostics on live production lines.
Sention’s CEO, Professor Dan Brett, called the raise a “significant milestone” and said the company’s mission is to deliver real impact to a battery industry grappling with high failure rates, product recalls, and a lack of reliable, non-invasive testing tools.
“Batteries are transforming the way we live and leading us toward Net Zero, but they come with challenges,” Brett said. “This investment will enable us to deliver our products to customers, making a real difference in the battery industry.”
Twin Path Ventures said Sention’s approach — combining machine learning with electrochemical insights — has the potential to “transform the way batteries are developed, manufactured and used.”
With battery quality control under increasing scrutiny across the energy storage and electric vehicle markets, Sention’s platform promises to reduce scrap rates, improve performance, and enhance safety for battery manufacturers, developers and integrators.
The company has already seen strong early interest and will use the funding to expand its team and scale operations ahead of broader commercial rollout.
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Sention Technologies secures £3.7m seed round to revolutionise battery diagnostics