The Know Daily - Thursday 23 April 2026

_{Read in 4m 38s ∙ Listening to The Cinematic Orchestra ∙}

It’s World Penguin Day on Saturday, so we thought this would be the perfect time to share a few fun facts about our feathered friends: they each have a distinctive call which makes it easier to find their chicks among large penguin colonies, the smallest species of penguin is known as the “fairy penguin”… but our fave fact is that Benedict Cumberbatch finally learnt how to pronounce the word (after presenting an entire documentary referring to them as “pen-wings”) on The Graham Norton Show. 😂

👩‍💼 The Gender Index Report 2026

A new report has taken a closer look at who’s leading UK businesses, highlighting a clear gap between how women-led companies perform and the support they receive.

Tell me more.
The Gender Index is one of the most comprehensive snapshots of entrepreneurship in the UK, analysing millions of active companies to track leadership, growth and access to funding. This year’s shows a consistent pattern: female-led businesses are growing strongly, but still face barriers when it comes to scaling and investment.

So what did the report find this year?

• Female-led firms grew turnover by 22.1% – faster than both male-led and mixed teams.

• Only 18% of UK companies are female-led, with little movement year-on-year.

• Just 12.1% secured external investment, compared to 18.5% of male-led companies.

• Female-led companies remain underrepresented in high-growth firms, making up just 13.2% of this group.

What’s behind this?
The findings point to a structural gap rather than a performance one. Female-led businesses are proving they can grow, but are less likely to access the funding needed to scale further. Investment pipelines, networks and representation all play a role here, as does the fact that female-led companies are slightly more likely to dissolve than be newly created. The result is a system where progress is happening, but slowly.

Why does it matter?
Because this is as much about missed opportunity as it is about fairness. If more women were backed to start and grow businesses, the benefits would ripple across jobs, innovation and the wider economy. According to Nottingham University and the recent Rise Report, the UK is estimated to be missing out on around £310 billion every year by not supporting women to scale at the same rate as men.

So what can we do to make a difference?

🛍️ Be intentional with where you spend – supporting women-led businesses can directly contribute to growth.
📣 Share and recommend – visibility still plays a big role in scaling a business.
⭐ Leave reviews – small signals of trust can have a big impact.
🤝 If you’re in the space, consider mentoring, investing in or collaborating with female founders. Buy Women Built is a great app for this.

🏛️ Senior ministers have questioned Keir Starmer’s decision to dismiss a top civil servant over former US ambassador Peter Mandelson’s vetting.

• The bigger story: Olly Robbins was dismissed after it emerged he had overruled security advice and failed to flag concerns about Mandelson’s vetting before his proposed US ambassador role. But some ministers have raised concerns about whether the decision was the right response, warning it could affect trust between politicians and civil servants. The row has also sparked a wider debate about the balance of responsibility between elected ministers and senior officials — and who should ultimately be accountable when decisions go wrong. The discussion comes as pressure on Starmer continues to grow, with some MPs calling for him to step down.

🤧 Hay fever symptoms can last up to two weeks longer than they would have done in the 1990s, a new report has found. Here are some tips on how to manage it.

📱 Mobile phones are set to be banned in schools in England after the government introduced an amendment in the House of Lords to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

🏡 A €7bn public housing plan has been introduced by Spain in an effort to tackle rising rent and housing costs.

🤖 Yelp’s AI assistant has been updated so it can now answer questions and book a restaurant all in one conversation.

🌳 An ancient tree that’s native to Asian countries could be the key to filtering microplastics from drinking water, a new study has found.  

👠 The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere in London took place yesterday and now we’re counting down the days until its out in cinemas on 1 May. (Because everybody wants this.)

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Trivia answer: B) The brand launched the product at this year’s Milan Design Week. 

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