London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barnet? May 6, 2026 Labour faces a battle in defending Barnet in the local elections after recent surges in council tax and a flurry of defections since 2022. Barnet stands as a real test for both the Conservative and Labour party. What was traditionally a safe seat for the Tories flipped red in 2022 as Labour won the borough [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barking and Dagenham? May 6, 2026 Labour will take the fight to Reform in its defence of Barking and Dagenham as it looks to continue its long-running hold on the borough. In 2022 Barking and Dagenham was painted a unanimous red. All 51 seats in the 232,747 strong borough went to Labour in a clean sweep, though turnout was 24.5 per [...]
Exclusive: OBR calculations suggest Reeves set for borrowing spree May 6, 2026 The Office for Budget Responsibility’s own calculations on the impact of a war in the Middle East suggest that Rachel Reeves is set to oversee a surge in borrowing, City AM has found. Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves have said that the government’s focus on “stability” has added protections to public finances and helped the [...]
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is right – our energy policy is ‘all over the place’ May 6, 2026 Punchy interventions from chemicals tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe are not rare; most announcements from his company, Ineos, are enriched with a missive from the billionaire on where exactly the UK is going wrong. But these are no mere PR ploys. The stakes are high and he knows what he’s talking about. Yesterday’s confirmation of his [...]
A bank tax hangs in the balance at the local election ballot May 6, 2026 As speculation of a leadership challenge – or sweeping reshuffle – surrounds the forthcoming local elections, in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what a change in Chancellor would mean for the banking sector. It is no secret that Thursday’s local elections carry a weight far heavier than the fate of a few neighbourhood [...]
Rachel Reeves battled Scott Bessent over Iran war May 5, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves sparred with Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary Scott Bessent over the US’s attacks on Iran, it has been reported. During her stay in Washington DC for meetings at the International Monetary Fund last month, Reeves hit out at the Trump official for “how he had spoken to her.” The two sparred over the [...]
Kemi Badenoch: Thoughtful, patient…radical? May 5, 2026 With local elections just days away much of the focus has been on what the results will mean for Keir Starmer’s chances of survival. Related to this is the question of how well Reform and the Greens will do, with fewer column inches devoted to what lies ahead for the Conservatives. To some extent this [...]
Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs May 5, 2026 The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
Kemi Badenoch interview: ‘I want an economic revolution’ May 5, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has told City AM she wants to deliver “an economic revolution” in the UK, based on lower taxes, less government intervention and “a mindset shift” that puts businesses and the City at the heart of the growth agenda. Speaking ahead of this week’s local elections, the Tory leader says she is developing policies [...]
‘Politically toxic’ holiday tax could turn voters against Labour, hospitality leaders warn May 4, 2026 The “politically toxic” holiday tax could turn hordes of voters against Labour if it is pushed through, hospitality leaders have warned the government. The proposed tax could threaten the fragile majorities of a host of Labour big beasts including health secretary Wes Streeting and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, trade body UK Hospitality (UKH) has claimed. [...]