Triple lock reform and scrapping IHT: Voters give thumbs up to Labour and Tory policies October 12, 2026 Andy Burnham’s pledge to reform the state pension triple lock and Kemi Badenoch’s plan to scrap inheritance taxes on family homes have both received a stamp of approval from voters, new polling has shown. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters showed that the British public back the major policies announced by the [...]
Oil prices waver as Trump pushes for dubious Ukraine-Russia ‘ceasefire’ October 12, 2026 Oil prices remained above the $100 mark on Monday morning after President Trump hailed a deal with Russia’s President Putin that would lead to the supply of millions of barrels of diesel to the US and global markets. Brent crude oil futures, a benchmark for international prices, fell by about 0.6 per cent to $104 [...]
Fiscal drag to the rescue – but Healey still faces £35bn inflation headache October 12, 2026 Soaring inflation could force the Chancellor to commit to more government spending and tax hikes, posing a worse Budget headache than a narrowing fiscal headroom, a top think tank has warned. John Healey might have to top up department budgets by as much as £35bn by the end of the decade to stop the real-terms [...]
Healey rules out expanding mansion tax to £1.5m homes October 11, 2026 John Healey has ruled out widening Labour’s so-called mansion tax to cover homes worth £1.5m, following warnings that the tax change would hammer middle-class homeowners in the capital. The Chancellor had been considering widening its council tax surcharge to cover homes valued at £1.5m or more, as the Treasury seeks extra revenue to fund cost [...]
City minister insists capital markets reform ‘not a job done’ October 11, 2026 A top Treasury minister has opened the door to further capital markets reforms after saying the government’s job was not done in improving listing incentives. Lucy Rigby, who serves as the economic secretary to the Treasury, otherwise known as City minister, told City AM the government was “continually looking for ways that we can ensure [...]
Palantir’s Tom Watson warns Labour against ‘mob rule’ on procurement October 9, 2026 Former Labour deputy leader and top Palantir executive Tom Watson has warned his party could face “trouble” if they bow to “mob rule” on procurement procedures. Lord Watson, who became a senior vice president at the US tech giant in September, said Palantir is “very targeted by the people that are targeting Israeli companies”. Watson [...]
City chiefs warn Healey bank tax hike could drive businesses out of UK October 9, 2026 Top finance industry chiefs have warned the Chancellor that hiking taxes on the banking sector in the forthcoming Budget could drive businesses and capital out of the UK. Bosses of the City’s biggest industry bodies – including UK Finance, TheCityUK and the CBI – have written to John Healey calling for him to avoid raising [...]
Minister denies Labour’s tax hikes behind youth unemployment October 8, 2026 The Labour government’s £25bn hike in taxes paid by employers is not the main driver behind rising youth unemployment, a government minister told City AM. Baroness Jacqui Smith, the skills minister, said that changes in NICs and minimum wages have not been the main drivers behind a rise in unemployment rates for people under the [...]
Badenoch puts Tories on difficult path to the right destination October 8, 2026 Party conference season has come to an end, having barely registered for most voters beyond an extra dose of politics on the news and in their feeds. Party leaders always have to balance two audiences: their supporters in the hall and the sceptics at home. As a new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham’s conference speech was [...]
Employers yearn for growth as jobs market stages ‘fragile recovery’ October 8, 2026 The UK jobs market is beginning to “flicker back to life,” a new report has said, after permanent and temporary placings inched up in the last month. The latest jobs report from KPMG and recruiter REC showed permanent hiring grew for the second consecutive month to a four-year high of 50.9. Meanwhile, temporary billings also [...]