UK bank bosses and John Healey set for tax showdown October 5, 2026 When banking lobbyists geared up for an offensive ahead of the 2025 Budget, a tax cut barely made the wishlist. Modest in their ambitions, advocates were preparing to settle for anything that didn’t see their already eye-wateringly high tax bill rise. That is until, City AM understands, officials advised them to make a cut a [...]
‘Disastrous’: Average five-year fixed mortgage rate surges to six per cent October 5, 2026 The average five-year fixed mortgage rate has broken the six per cent mark for the first time in three years after a fresh raft of lenders hiked prices. The typical five-year agreement has hit six per cent, according to Moneyfacts, while the average two-year is a whisker behind at 5.98 per cent. It is the [...]
UK services sector marks two years of job losses October 5, 2026 The UK’s dominant services sector has suffered two years of continuous job losses despite moderate growth against the backdrop of intense trading disruption and high borrowing costs, new data has indicated. Researchers at S&P Global said a fall in employment over September across services firms meant the sector had now suffered two consecutive years of [...]
Raising bank taxes will reduce jobs, former Chancellor Hunt warns Healey October 5, 2026 Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has issued John Healey a major warning over any increase to the level of taxes paid by UK banks ahead of the forthcoming Budget. The top Tory MP, who has sat on the back benches since Labour came to power in 2024, said Healey must ignore the “siren voices” calling for [...]
As it happened: Oil stockpiles ‘scarily thin’; BT jumps on TalkTalk rescue deal October 5, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. Markets are hoping to claw back some of last week’s losses to kick off the week after a global bond rout set ripples through the world’s top exchanges. The FTSE 100 is gaining on Monday, reversing some of its losses from Friday. This morning, Brent crude – the international [...]
Healey’s headroom ‘could be wiped out by Iran war’ October 5, 2026 Chancellor John Healey’s fiscal headroom could be entirely wiped out by the impact of the war in Iran as economists said the Office for Budget Responsibility could offer a more pessimistic view on the UK economy. A central fiscal forecast by analysts at EY suggests that the Chancellor’s buffer against a borrowing target has fallen [...]
Heathrow and housing: Griffith pledges ‘most ambitious deregulation project’ in generation October 4, 2026 The Conservatives’ pick for chancellor has pledged to roll out the “most ambitious deregulation project in a generation” as he is set to say plans could cut £50,000 off the price of a new home. Andrew Griffith, the shadow chancellor, will say on Monday he will slash red tape for businesses across construction, supermarkets and [...]
Badenoch says triple lock pension is ‘right policy’ as new Tory blueprint announced October 4, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has defended the triple lock pension as the “right policy” ahead of the Conservatives’ party conference this weekend. Badenoch said the triple lock, which is widely condemned as “unsustainable” across the political spectrum, ensured pensioners who had “contributed” were properly rewarded. The triple lock pension ensures that the state pension rises by whichever [...]
Price pressures hit firms amid uncertain outlook and fears of interest rate hikes October 2, 2026 Firms’ inflation expectations for the next 12 months rose higher, according to closely watched Bank of England survey, the results of which could pile pressure on policymakers to raise interest rates. The Bank’s monthly survey of firms’ price expectations, the Decision Makers’ Panel, showed price expectations becoming more jittery as costs from the energy price [...]
As it happened: Stocks bounce as G7 approves emergency oil release after bound rout October 2, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Stick with us throughout the day for the latest London Stock Exchange and wider business and economic news, as soon as we get it. Here’s a look at some of our top headlines: The liveblog has ended.No liveblog updates yet. Load more