Global medical technology company Convatec has announced plans to establish a new flagship research and development hub in Manchester as part of a £500 million investment in the United Kingdom. The FTSE100-listed firm, which specializes in products for chronic wounds, diabetes, urinary incontinence, and stomas, will relocate its R&D operations from Deeside to Bruntwood SciTech's CityLabs 4.0 facility, scheduled to open in 2027. This strategic move represents a significant commitment to the UK's life sciences sector at a time when several other pharmaceutical companies have been shifting investments overseas.

The new Manchester facility will become one of the largest centers in Convatec's global network, spanning 125,000 square feet across seven storeys in the £42 million CityLabs 4.0 building. Located on Hathersage Road facing the Manchester Royal Infirmary, St Mary's and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, the state-of-the-art facility will focus on research in four key therapeutic areas: advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence care, and infusion care. The company cited Manchester's "vibrant life sciences ecosystem, which includes leading universities, hospitals, and research institutions" as the primary reason for selecting the location.

Approximately 200 staff will be employed at the new Manchester hub, with most positions transferring from Convatec's existing R&D operation in Deeside, North Wales, which has served as a major research center since 1996. The company emphasized that no redundancies are planned as a consequence of the relocation and that the Deeside manufacturing site will remain unaffected, continuing to employ around 400 workers. The new Manchester facility is approximately 50% larger than the current Deeside operation and has capacity for up to 250 employees, allowing for future expansion.

Convatec's investment comes as part of a broader $1 billion worldwide R&D commitment, with the UK portion representing nearly half of this global initiative. The company, which generated $2.3 billion in revenue last year, typically allocates approximately 5% of its annual revenue to research and development. The relocation to Manchester positions Convatec to leverage the city's concentration of medical research institutions, including neighboring organizations such as the University of Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, biotech company QIAGEN, and MAC Clinical Research, strengthening its pipeline of new products addressing unmet needs in chronic care.

London's Metropolitan Police has reversed its longstanding position on grooming gangs in the capital, acknowledging for the first time that it has multiple active investigations into group-based child sexual exploitation. The shift came after an investigation by MyLondon and The Daily Express challenged official statements from both police leadership and Mayor Sadiq Khan, who had consistently maintained there were "no reports" or "no indication" of Rochdale or Rotherham-style rape gangs operating in London.

The investigation uncovered evidence from four separate His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services reports spanning 2016 to 2025 that documented at least six potential victims of grooming gang abuse. These case studies, which the Mayor of London personally responded to according to public statements, described children as young as 13 being exploited by groups of predatory men. The reports detailed how girls were plied with drugs and alcohol, raped in hotels by multiple perpetrators, and subjected to life-threatening situations.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley revealed to Assembly Members at City Hall that the force now acknowledges a "steady flow" of live multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations and a "very significant" number of historic cases requiring reinvestigation. The commissioner estimated these reviews would cost "millions of pounds a year, for several years" to properly investigate, contradicting previous assertions that the force had "not seen" such cases in London.

Political figures including Reform UK MP Lee Anderson and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp have criticized the mayor's handling of the situation, with Anderson stating there is "real, credible evidence that grooming gangs exist in London" and Philp alleging that Khan is "facilitating a cover-up." A spokesman for the mayor maintained that Khan has "always been clear that the safety of Londoners is his top priority" and remains "committed to doing all he can to protect children in London."