UK must ‘urgently’ reopen North Sea drilling amid global volatility March 24, 2026 Households and businesses will be left even more exposed to geopolitical shocks like the one playing out in the Middle East unless the government “urgently” reopens the UK’s North Sea oil fields to new drilling projects, an industry body has warned. In its annual temperature check of Britain’s energy industry, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) called [...]
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 [...]
Trump’s call to pause strikes in Iran boosts markets March 23, 2026 Global markets leaped on news that President Trump paused strikes on Iranian infrastructure as he hinted that negotiations had been “very good and productive”. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – plunged back to below $100 per barrle after having jumped to $112 earlier in the day. The FTSE 100 also rose [...]
Starmer vows to use ‘every lever’ to protect Brits from damage to UK economy March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use “every lever” to prevent households from being hit by higher energy prices amid growing fears the Iran war is wreaking havoc on the UK economy. On Monday morning, the Prime Minister suggested an emergency Cobra meeting between the most senior government ministers and the Bank of England governor [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery after Trump’s latest TACO; Oil price slips March 23, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are in recovery mode after a dramatic intervention from President Donald Trump slapped a delay on his bombastic ultimatum. Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Iranian regime on Saturday night, where he called for the full re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a [...]
The UK is being “dragged into” Iran war says Badenoch March 21, 2026 Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the UK is being “dragged into” the Iran war “whether we like it or not” after the nation fired missiles at joint UK-US base. Badenoch argued Starmer can longer “sit on the fence” after the attempted strikes on Saturday morning, before criticising him for not backing the US to [...]
Starmer to convene emergency meeting over Iran war price shock March 21, 2026 Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene an emergency meeting of senior cabinet ministers and the governor of the Bank of England next week, as prices continue to soar amid the Middle East conflict. The meeting will discuss plans to help households with the rising cost of living caused by the war in Iran, according to [...]
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin hits back at Miliband ‘warm beer’ advice March 20, 2026 The boss of the UK’s best-known pub chain has hit back at Ed Miliband after he issued guidance which sparked concerns that pubs will have to serve warmer beer to keep energy bills down. Tim Martin, chairman of JD Wetherspoon, told City AM pubs will be swiftly overtaken by supermarkets if they opt to cut [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates twice, JP Morgan says March 20, 2026 The Bank of England will hike interest rates at its next meeting in late April, JP Morgan has predicted, presenting a new threat to the security of the UK economy. JP Morgan economist Allan Monks has said that the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will opt to raise interest rates at least twice this year. [...]