Britain’s economy is forecast to grow by 1.5% in 2026, with rising investment in artificial intelligence and defence providing a boost alongside stronger manufacturing and services activity.

Professional projections released on 9 November put expected growth above the previous year’s rate and slightly ahead of the eurozone average. A major monthly index covering manufacturing and services output has also reached its highest level in more than four years, suggesting strengthening business optimism.

The distinction matters: the index records a current improvement in activity, while the annual growth figure remains a forecast rather than an achieved result.

Elsewhere in technology, five leading British universities are joining a consortium intended to turn quantum research breakthroughs into competitive businesses. The partnership forms part of a wider national effort to secure technology jobs and economic growth. Its purpose is commercialisation: moving discoveries beyond university research and into businesses, rather than treating scientific advances alone as the finished achievement.

The Royal Navy has meanwhile launched its first autonomous squadron. The unit will operate uncrewed boats on front-line operations, marking a step in fleet modernisation and investment in hybrid operations. The squadron’s establishment is complete; its operational role lies ahead.

A smaller-scale development has brought a tangible conservation result. Glowworms are returning to parts of the UK after conservationists reared the beetles’ larvae without payment in a garden shed, then safely released them into the wild.

That recovery is localised, not evidence of a nationwide revival. It nevertheless demonstrates a direct result from grassroots conservation work: larvae raised by volunteers have helped restore glowworms to places where they can shine again.