On this day: Germany introduces the Rentenmark to curb hyperinflation Opinion On this day, 15 October 1923, Germany introduced the Rentenmark to curb hyperinflation, and it worked. Eliot Wilson tells us more.
UK state growing at faster pace than France after spending splurge and tax hikes Economics The size of the British state is growing by a larger amount than any other G7 nation apart from Germany since the pandemic in 2020, figures on government spending from the International Monetary Fund have shown. The IMF’s latest report on countries’ fiscal outlook shows that UK government spending is set to rise by 5.2 [...]
Diesel crisis: UK minister holds emergency talks with US energy secretary Energy Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is holding crunch talks with her American counterpart about an escalating diesel spat that has seen Treasury secretary Scott Bessent urge Europe to release emergency reserves “immediately”. City AM understands that Fahnbulleh is in direct contact with US energy secretary Chris Wright to discuss a US move to potentially choke off [...]
Premier Inn’s German expansion not a mistake, Whitbread tells activist investor September 25, 2026 Premier Inn owner Whitbread has been forced to defend its expansion into Germany after the activist investor seeking to gain a board seat cast significant doubt over the move. The FTSE 100 hospitality giant, which also owned Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, first expanded into Germany in 2014 and now operates 75 Premier Inn hotels in [...]
Germany’s politics have become unsustainable September 22, 2026 German Chancellor Merz and the CDU face a severe political crisis following disastrous state election results and plunging approval ratings, says Helen Thomas “It was a disaster” said German Chancellor Merz after the results of two key German elections. If anything, that was an understatement. The CDU suffered the humiliation of falling below the five [...]
Why it could now cost more to sack an executive in the UK than FRANCE September 17, 2026 Labour’s overhaul of employment rights, particularly the removal of the unfair dismissal compensation cap, could leave British businesses facing a higher bill for dismissing executives than their European counterparts. As the government pushed its Employment Rights Bill into law, it ditched the £118,000 compensation limit on unfair dismissal claims to appease unions after the House [...]
Reeves rent freeze: How did Chancellor turn to a Mamdani-style policy controversy? April 28, 2026 Reports of plans in Downing Street for a rent freeze came as a shock after a housing minister said Labour opposes the policy. Felix Armstrong explores why rent controls stoke so much controversy, from New York to Sweden. Rumours that Rachel Reeves is considering slapping a freeze on private rents shocked the property market on [...]
Free speech is under threat in Germany March 13, 2026 Historian and City AM columnist Rainer Zitelmann finds himself in the crossfire of Germany’s free-speech debate I will turn 69 in June, and it is the first time in my life that I have come into conflict with the law. At the beginning of February I received a letter from the Berlin police: “Written statement [...]
With not much else to offer, Reeves pitches ‘stable’ UK to Davos elite January 21, 2026 The Canadian PM and former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, told an audience at Davos yesterday that “the old order is not coming back,” and that “there’s been a rupture in the world.” He said the structures we took for granted have been replaced by “a system of intensifying great power rivalry [...]
UK retains investment appeal but CEO confidence falters January 19, 2026 The UK has strengthened its position as a global investment hub over the last twelve months, as it works to offset competition from other countries. Britain remained the second-most attractive destination for international investment for chief executives last year, according to the latest survey from PwC, but now shares the position with Germany and India. [...]