Investors ‘reluctant’ to splash cash on UK banks amid crisis in Number 10 June 15, 2026 UK banks’ stock prices are being slapped with a political risk premium, City analysts have warned, as turmoil in Downing Street threatens to rock the sector. The FTSE 350 bank index has had a choppy start to the year with financial stocks facing a hammering from the Iran war as investors trimmed their equities exposure. [...]
Andy Burnham commits to triple lock despite backlash over ‘unsustainable’ policy June 15, 2026 Andy Burnham has committed to keeping the triple lock pension and allowing pensioners to escape paying income taxes despite the policy being opposed by swathes of economists and MPs. Burnham said he would keep the triple lock pension, the mechanism that ensures the taxpayer-funded state pension rises by whichever is highest out of wage growth, [...]
Jenrick vows to partly undo Reeves’ £25bn employer NICs rise – for Britons June 15, 2026 Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has said the party would undo Rachel Reeves’ £25bn tax rise on employers’ national insurance contributions – but only when employers hire British workers. Jenrick said Reform was set to put “British workers first, migrant workers second” by reforming tax to treat Britons differently to workers taken from overseas.” Reform’s Treasury [...]
‘Poorly designed’ policies threatening London’s grip on global tourism June 15, 2026 London’s competitiveness as a leading culture and tourism destination is being undermined by “poorly designed” policies, the West End’s leading business advocate has warned. Dee Corsi, chief executive of the New West End Company (NWEC), has said that London is “competing with one hand tied behind its back” compared to global rivals whose policymakers are [...]
Interest rates set to be held as inflation to remain ‘elevated’ despite Iran peace deal June 15, 2026 Interest rates are expected to be left unchanged as Bank of England policymakers wait to find out whether the Iran war peace deal holds up. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is set to keep interest rates at 3.75 per cent at a decision later this week. Its decision would suggest that the Bank is [...]
‘Nothing is straightforward’: Market analysts warn of US-Iran deal complications June 15, 2026 Top market analysts warned on Monday that “nothing is straight forward” as euphoria spread across European equities after a confirmed peace deal between the US and Iran. Stock markets opened in the green as investors returned to a risk-on mentality after Pakistan announced an agreement between the two nations and Donald Trump declared the oil [...]
Government should fix ‘stubbornly weak’ growth with policy test, industry body argues June 15, 2026 The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is calling on the government to break decades of low economic growth by introducing a new delivery test, as businesses continue to slash investment under the burden of mounting costs. In the BCC diagnoses, the UK’s growth problem is not a lack of potential but a failure to turn [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 relief rally runs out of steam as BP and Shell weigh; Oil hits three-month low June 15, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Market sentiment is starting the new week on a positive note after Pakistan said an official peace deal between the US and Iran would be signed this Friday in Switzerland. Asian equities were sent soaring on the news after over a 100 days of uncertainty gripped global markets, [...]
US and Iran agree to peace deal’s text, negotiators say June 13, 2026 The US and Iran have agreed to the wording in a peace deal for the war to end and the Strait of Hormuz to re-open, according to negotiators. Pakistani prime minister Shebaz Sharif, who has hosted peace negotiations, said there was a “final, agreed-upon text@. He also added in a post on X that “peace [...]
Thames Water, energy grid, rent prices: Burnham drums up public control agenda June 13, 2026 Andy Burnham will press for an agenda of public control over water companies, the national energy grid and government procurement regulation if he becomes Prime Minister. Reports on Saturday indicated that the Manchester mayor, who is standing as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election before a likely bid to become the party’s leader, would push [...]