Rolls-Royce shares boom amid hopes of trade resumption Markets Shares in the retail stock darling Rolls-Royce skyrocketed as investors went back to bullish ways on news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. The stock price for the engineering giant soared by as much as 10 per cent as trading opened. It meant the stock hit 1,259.80p. The jump in the share price will [...]
14 charts reveal the massive challenges facing UK and NATO defence spending Politics Defence spending is casting a shadow over Downing Street. Military officers are in a state of despair. The choices facing Sir Keir Starmer are stark. The political calculus for the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has become more complicated than ever as the Iran war puts public finances in danger. Their difficulties go back to February 2025 [...]
Costs up, demand down: Manufacturers suffer biggest squeeze since 2022 Industrials Costs for the UK’s manufacturing sector have risen at the fastest pace in three and a half years, new data has indicated, as the energy price shock from the Iran war hammers businesses. S&P Global research has found that manufacturers suffered the highest increase in input prices since late 2022 when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine [...]
Exclusive: Mordaunt suggests only death of Brits would get UK to ‘wake up’ on defence March 30, 2026 Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt has suggested that only the death of serving British soldiers would get the Prime Minister to “wake up” and fund extra defence spending. In an interview with City AM, the senior Tory figure said the current government’s spending plans for defence were “out of kilter” with reality given immediate threats [...]
Starmer admits defence upgrade doesn’t have enough funding March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the government’s proposed defence plan does not have enough as he vowed to “resolve” the rift between the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. The Prime Minister admitted a target to raise spending on defence from 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2027 to 3.5 per cent in 2035 required [...]
MoD looks to hire AI chief on £185,000 – just don’t use it in your application March 23, 2026 The Ministry of Defence is on the search for a new AI chief to put the UK on a tech war footing. The MoD said its new chief AI officer would be in charge of leading an in-house technology centre and bringing AI into operation across the military for “maximum impact”. The London-based job will [...]
City AM Awards 2026: Meet the Finalists March 18, 2026 And the nominees are…. Personality of the Year Greg Jackson CBE The entrepreneur and CEO of Octopus Energy has become one of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, known for his straight talking and punchy views across a range of topics including UK entrepreneurship, the business environment, capital markets and, of course, energy. In August [...]
Defence boosts Serco amid asylum hotel decline March 5, 2026 Government defence contracts helped Serco deliver a higher profit in 2025 despite a drop in the use of migrant hotels, once a key revenue stream for the London-listed company. Serco, an outsourcing company that covers government work on everything from migrant hotels to waste collection, was boosted by higher state expenditure both in the UK [...]
Starmer refuses to reveal date of defence investment plan March 4, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer hit back at criticism the UK government was not spending enough on defence amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East putting RAF jets and British nationals at risk. The Prime Minister declined to reveal when the much-anticipated defence investment plan would be published as Kemi Badenoch centred her attacks on the [...]
Manufacturing exports highest in four years despite jobs decline March 2, 2026 Export orders across the manufacturing sector hit its highest level in four years and a half despite a continued decline in employment across the sector, new research has shown. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has pointed to upbeat news on the UK economy ahead of tomorrow’s Spring Statement, which will be delivered by Chancellor [...]