Wandsworth Council plans 94 per cent tax rise after Rayner’s cuts September 16, 2026 Wandsworth Council has announced taxes will rise by 94 per cent for Band D residents after local leaders hit out at the government for cutting funding by £84m a year. The local authority, regularly dubbed Margaret Thatcher’s favourite council because of its historically low-levels of council tax, will make Band D council taxpayers stump up [...]
Inflation inches higher ahead of interest rates decision September 16, 2026 Inflation inched higher in the year to August, official data has shown, adding to pressures faced by the Bank of England ahead of its interest rate decision on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer price index (CPI) inflation in the 12 months to August was 3.1 per cent, higher than last month’s [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rises after inflation jump; oil supply in focus September 16, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. UK inflation has seen a fresh spike to 3.1 per cent in August, up from 2.9 per cent the month prior. The fresh print comes as Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – holds around the $108 per barrel mark, near four-month highs. Industry data managed [...]
We’re walking an economic tightrope and the wind is picking up September 16, 2026 I spent much of my morning yesterday with a group of City chiefs for a candid (though unfortunately, off the record) chat about the health of our economy and the state of our politics. I feared that my stump speech about the perilous state of our public finances, our low growth rate, the ever-expanding state [...]
Reform’s London mayor pick: I want to design London like an iPhone September 16, 2026 Londoners are steadily finding out who will be on the ballot sheet for the next mayoral election in 2028. Mauricio Alencar spoke to Reform UK’s candidate Laila Cunningham about her tunnel-vision approach to getting things done. Laila Cunningham has a simple pitch to Londoners. While, for the moment, it looks like Labour and the Tories [...]
Hold interest rates despite inflation risk, Shadow MPC tells Bank of England September 15, 2026 The Bank of England has been urged to hold interest rates even as inflation is set to peak higher than previously expected due to the continuation of the Iran war, City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee has said. The Bank should leave interest rates unchanged at 3.75 per cent, according to most top economists in [...]
Andrew Bailey: Latest AI advances are an ‘OMG moment’ for cyber crime September 15, 2026 The latest advances in frontier AI are an “OMG moment” and countries need to “arm themselves”, Andrew Bailey has said, as he highlighted the new threat of financial crime posed by the technology. Speaking at the annual City of London Police Authority Board dinner at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall on Monday, the Bank of England [...]
State pension to top £13,000 as triple lock piles pressure on Healey September 15, 2026 The state pension is set to rise by £490 next year as a result of the triple lock, adding to “pressures” facing Chancellor John Healey as he draws up his first budget. New earnings growth data released on Tuesday has indicated that the triple lock pension will rise by 3.9 per cent. The triple lock [...]
Private sector wage growth at lowest level in nearly six years September 15, 2026 Private sector wage growth remains at lows not seen in nearly six years in a sign that Britain’s labour market is weakening further ahead of a crunch interest rate decision for the Bank of England on Thursday. New data has shown that the wider UK jobs market cooled further over the summer, adding to a [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides as oil and AI weigh on markets September 15, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Investors were met with a volatile start to the week after rising tensions around oil and AI dampened market mood. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – held above $107 per barrel on Tuesday morning after worries around global supply ramped up on Monday. Saudi [...]