‘Fantasy land’: AO World boss blasts Labour over employment costs June 17, 2026 The boss of AO World has hit out at the government after it shifted hundreds of jobs to South Africa in a bid to dodge soaring employment costs. John Roberts, chief executive of the electrical retailer, claimed the UK’s political class lives “in an economic fantasy land” and blasted Labour for forcing his company to [...]
Inflation stays below three per cent despite price warning June 17, 2026 Inflation has stayed below three per cent although economists are predicting further price increases later this year. The Office for National Statistics said inflation in the year to May was lower than economists expected with the consumer prices index (CPI) showing a reading of 2.8 per cent. Core inflation, which strips volatile energy and food [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 see-saws after inflation undershoots; Oil at $80 as Trump threatens ‘dropping bombs’ on Iran June 17, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Fresh inflation data this morning showed a reading of 2.8 per cent leading the consumer price index unchanged from May. This came under the expectations of a poll of City analysts by Bloomberg that forecast inflation would come in at three per cent for May. Core inflation, which [...]
Burnham’s focused on spending but at least Streeting’s thinking about growth June 17, 2026 So, what’s it going to be? An end to 40 years of neoliberalism or a future shaped by progressive capitalism? That, at least, is the choice represented by Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting. The former health secretary delivered an impressive speech yesterday, offering an alternative economic vision to the more left-leaning instincts of Labour’s candidate [...]
England’s secret weapon against World Cup heat? British company’s £26 product June 17, 2026 England have turned to a British hot water bottle maker for help coping with the extreme World Cup heat ahead of their tournament opener against Croatia in Dallas tonight. High temperatures are expected to be a defining feature of this tournament – with dangerous conditions possible in 14 of the 16 host cities – and, [...]
Baillie Gifford in line for Anthropic windfall just months after £3.6bn SpaceX bonanza June 17, 2026 Scottish investment shop Baillie Gifford is in line to more than triple its money on its stakes in Anthropic when the AI juggernaut floats on the stock market this summer, just months after netting a £3.6bn gain on its historic SpaceX punt. Three of the Edinburgh-based asset manager’s flagship trusts could use Anthropic’s eagerly awaited [...]
Shipping chief: Hormuz tankers reluctant to leave Gulf despite Iran deal June 17, 2026 Shipping firms remain reluctant to navigate the Strait of Hormuz sea passage despite this week’s peace deal, according to a boss of the industry’s lobby group who warned that trade volumes will not return to full capacity until next year. Peter Aylott, director of policy at the UK Chamber of Shipping, told City AM that [...]
My ride in a helicopter over London as Leonardo expands its UK presence June 17, 2026 Helicopter travel is the preserve of London’s elite: Celebrities, billionaires and high flying – if you’ll pardon the pun – City chief executives. Leonardo attracted headlines earlier this year when it secured a £1bn contract to build helicopters for the Ministry of Defence. The company had warned it could shut its UK helicopter manufacturing facility [...]
Book review: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow June 17, 2026 No subject has made me go more hot and cold than AI. Some days, I open Gemini, Claude or ChatGPT, set tough tasks and am dumbstruck by the speed and accuracy of the results. Wow, this is the future, I think to myself. On other days, I ask something simple and they get it all [...]
Revolut pays compensation for waking customer up with push notifications June 17, 2026 The Treasury might be hoping to ease the Financial Ombudsman Service’s workload but there has been no slowdown in perplexing cases. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman tells the tale of Revolut and a sleep-starved customer. Is there an inappropriate time for a push notification? There is, according to one bank customer. Revolut found itself [...]