Healey avoids bond market backlash with ‘placeholder Budget’ Economics John Healey has managed to avoid punishment at the hands of the bond market through a “placeholder Budget” that delayed big decisions on defence and welfare and left questions hanging over the government’s future spending plans. The Chancellor announced a raft of cost of living measures as part of his fiscal statement, funded by taxes [...]
John Healey rules out capital gains tax hike in Budget Politics John Healey has squashed speculation he will raise capital gains tax in the forthcoming Budget after rejecting calls from his Cabinet colleagues. The Treasury was facing lobbying efforts from top ministers, including Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting, to raise the capital gains tax (CGT) rate from its current level of 24 per cent for higher [...]
As it happened: European stocks slump as bond yields spike after France riots FTSE 100 Live Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. European bond markets have been left in the red following the shifting pressures on global markets. The 10-year yield on French bonds – a direct reflection of the government’s cost to borrow – spiked some 13 basis points to 4.9 per cent. The spread between French [...]
Tories call for urgent action on youth unemployment in Budget October 18, 2026 Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately has said the government needs to “take action in the Budget” to “back businesses to employ more young people”, referring the one million young people who are not in employment, education or training (Neets). Talking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Whately said the Labour party have [...]
Tories to warn Burnham on ‘bending to left’ on bank tax raid October 14, 2026 Kemi Badenoch is expected to fire a bank tax warning shot to the Labour government on Thursday during a visit to Edinburgh. The Conservatives will warn Andy Burnham against “bending the knee to left-wing backbenchers and trade union paymasters,” as the pre-Budget debate heats up. It follows the banking sector swinging into defence mode ahead [...]
Exclusive: Healey looks to lower business costs of hiring young people October 14, 2026 Chancellor John Healey is drawing up measures to slash the cost of hiring under-25-year-olds at the Budget, City AM understands, as the government looks to tackle the crisis of youth unemployment and ease pressures facing businesses. A move to tackle the number of young people not in employment, education or training (Neets) by reducing hiring [...]
Burnham to clamp down on ‘unfair’ non-compete clauses October 9, 2026 Andy Burnham is expected to launch a crackdown on lengthy notice periods and non-compete clauses in employment contracts in a bid to free up the jobs market for highly skilled workers. In a speech later today, the Prime Minister will announce plans to tackle a proliferation of strict employment conditions, which force staff to give [...]
Mark Kleinman: Monzo deal needn’t be a hammer blow for UK tech October 1, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column. Monzo deal needn’t be a hammer blow for UK tech Monzo, Oaknorth, Revolut, Starling Bank – the queue of British fintech champions waiting to float in London is fast-disappearing. The latest to more-or-less evaporate? Monzo, if a [...]
Savings from triple lock pension reform to take over a decade September 30, 2026 Planned reforms to the triple lock on pensions will need 14 years before delivering savings worth more than £10bn, new government analysis has shown, as the Prime Minister admitted there was a “shortfall” in plans to fund a new National Care Service. At his flagship Labour conference speech on Tuesday, Andy Burnham announced that he [...]
Burnham on Brexit: ‘Customs union, single market – or we could go all the way’ September 30, 2026 Andy Burnham has confirmed he is open to reversing Brexit and could push for Britain to rejoin the European Union after the next election, as he said all options are “on the table” for Britain’s future relationship with the bloc. The Prime Minister said on Wednesday Morning: “There are clearly options that need to be [...]