As it happened: Stocks rise; oil falls after Trump pauses Iran strikes July 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Monday and the FTSE 100 has made a positive start to the week, gaining more than 70 points on the market open after oil prices began to fall from last week’s two-month highs. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, slipped to $90.58 in early trading [...]
The City has the key that can unlock growth in every postcode July 27, 2026 Growth depends on a stable and competitive tax system, streamlined planning and proportionate regulation and the City will work with the new government to create those conditions, says Chris Hayward Now that the Burnham government is in place, the Prime Minister’s new Cabinet inherits a formidable set of challenges: regional inequality, stretched public finances, sluggish productivity and flatlining living standards. Addressing these challenges will require sustainable growth and unleashing entrepreneurial energy across the country. [...]
Scotland’s tax hike may have backfired as receipt falls July 26, 2026 The Scottish government’s decision to raise the top rate of income tax may have backfired, according to analysis by the lawyer Dan Neidle. Neidle’s research on tax data suggested that a decision to increase the top income tax rate to 48 per cent led to lower receipts. HMRC data from 2024-25 suggested that the Scottish [...]
Burnham ‘aware’ of Healey’s extra £9bn spending demands July 26, 2026 Andy Burnham has said he was “very aware” of John Healey’s demand to spend at least £9bn more a year on defence when he appointed him as Chancellor. The Prime Minister has said he would ensure Sir Keir Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan (Dip) was “fully funded” in an interview with the BBC as his “first [...]
Energy operator ‘flying blind’ as net zero push threatens hiked bills and blackouts July 25, 2026 The UK’s net zero push risks leaving the country with higher electricity bills and more susceptible to blackouts, according to a leaked report commissioned by the national grid system. The report, produced by energy consultancy firm Cornwall Insight for the National Energy System Operator (Neso) and shared with The Times by a whistleblower, revealed that [...]
Top investment bank: Starmer and Reeves left UK ‘no better off than they found it’ July 24, 2026 Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves failed to leave the economy in a better position than they found it, according to top investment bank, which said the administration’s fixation on “luxury beliefs” kneecapped its number one mission to revive Britain’s flagging growth. In a research note on Friday, Panmure Liberum said the former Prime Minister and [...]
Hilton, Butlins left fuming over business rates snub July 24, 2026 Hilton and Butlins have been left fuming after being snubbed by Andy Burnham’s pledge to slash business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues. The two hospitality giants said that hotels and resorts have been unfairly ignored by successive government interventions to cut the business rates bills of hospitality firms. Stephen Cassidy, senior vice president [...]
‘Dwarfed by other costs’ – Why cutting business rates for pubs won’t save the sector July 24, 2026 Andy Burnham has unveiled his long-awaited support for the UK’s struggling pubs, but the hospitality industry is contending with far more pressures than just business rates Andy Burnham’s pledge to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues is expected to save each venue more than £1,000 next year in a move that comes [...]
As it happened: Stocks jump as oil drops below $100; Trump in tariff blitz July 24, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. Stocks jumped on Friday after oil eased back after reaching two-month highs on Thursday. The benchmark price of Brent crude oil slipped 4.1 per cent on Friday to $96.63 per barrel. Prices had surged to $100 following attacks by the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia based in Yemen, on [...]
OBR misery makes tax rises inevitable July 24, 2026 The OBR’s dire fiscal risks report portrays a world in which the only possible solution to Britain’s economic state is tax rises, says Emmanuel Igwe In ancient Greece, devotees trekked to Delphi to be told in ambiguous prose by the Pythia that chaos was nigh and only sacrifice to Apollo could hold off punishment. These [...]