Andy Haldane: This will be ‘a Budget for the backbenchers, not business’ October 20, 2026 A former Bank of England chief economist has warned he expects to see “further borrowing” and “further tax rises” in next week’s Budget as he threw his weight behind Kemi Badenoch’s plan on the UK economy. Speaking at an Ipsos event, Andy Haldane said the Budget has been a “less lengthy and a less leaky [...]
Healey’s cost of living battle just got harder as workers face ‘real terms pay cut’ October 20, 2026 Andy Burnham and John Healey have spoken at length about efforts to provide “breathing space” to both households and businesses. This task at next week’s Budget has now become more difficult. Over the summer the jobs market continued to weaken. Workers are at risk of being worse off while job seekers are finding it harder [...]
John Healey rules out capital gains tax hike in Budget October 20, 2026 John Healey has squashed speculation he will raise capital gains tax in the forthcoming Budget after rejecting calls from his Cabinet colleagues. The Treasury was facing lobbying efforts from top ministers, including Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting, to raise the capital gains tax (CGT) rate from its current level of 24 per cent for higher [...]
Job vacancies fall below 700,000 for first time in over five years October 20, 2026 Job vacancies have fallen below 700,000 for the first time in over five years, official data has shown, as the UK labour market continued to show signs of weakening. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said vacancy levels decreased in the three months to September by 21,000. It means the number of job vacancies stood [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 slides on market pressures; Google Cloud outage October 20, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. London’s blue-chip index are extending Monday’s losses after a bruising showing following tension in European bond markets. A bond-sell off hit Europe following tensions in France after the Prime Minister introduced a curfew to contain explosive riots. The 10-year yield on French bonds – a direct [...]
When will Burnham bring his whole self to work? October 20, 2026 There have been relatively few Budget leaks ahead of next week’s fiscal event but the little we have been able to discern, while still technically in the realms of speculation, has been depressing. The latest suggestion – that people handing over the reins of a family business to the next generation could be hit with [...]
Why Healey will miss a £25bn bonus from better productivity October 20, 2026 The UK economy’s productivity picture has radically changed in the last year. Maurício Alencar considers what this could mean for John Healey. For weeks leading up to last year’s Budget, reports dripping from so-called Treasury sources insisted it was not Rachel Reeves’ fault that tax hikes worth billions of pounds were on the horizon. The [...]
Bond sell-off rocks Europe after France imposes curfew to contain riots October 19, 2026 European bond and equity markets were hit by a fresh sell-off on Monday as the French government rolled out curfews to contain explosive riots that have spread across the country. The 10-year yield on French bonds – a direct reflection of the government’s cost to borrow – spiked around 13 basis points to 4.9 per [...]
Goldman Sachs to host Badenoch for City charm offensive October 19, 2026 Kemi Badenoch will step up her business charm offensive after the Budget with a roundtable hosted by Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs, City AM can reveal. The Tory leader will co-host a lunch for founders, investors and chief executives from across the UK alongside Goldman Sachs International’s chief executive, Anthony Gutman, City AM understands. The [...]
As it happened: European stocks slump as bond yields spike after France riots October 19, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. European bond markets have been left in the red following the shifting pressures on global markets. The 10-year yield on French bonds – a direct reflection of the government’s cost to borrow – spiked some 13 basis points to 4.9 per cent. The spread between French [...]