Government urged to reform ‘growth killer’ business rates April 27, 2026 Britain’s largest industry body has called on the government to urgently reform business rates, which it says is a “growth killer”. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said the government should keep its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system as a matter of urgency. Business rates is a tax determined by the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery as Trump eyes Iran ‘grand bargain’; Reeves to meet Bessent April 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Hopes of peace talks in the Middle East were back on the table this morning, though markets weren’t holding there breathe after weeks of bait-and-switches. Donald Trump described the war with Iran as “close to over” during an interview with Fox news. “I think it’s [...]
IMF: Middle East war risks sparking government debt doom loop April 14, 2026 Ballooning levels of government debt have left the global economy dangerously exposed to the aftereffects of the Middle East war, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which warned a fresh wave of inflation could trigger a historic bond crisis. In its latest Financial Stability Report, the financial body said that countries’ inability to rein [...]
Top energy and City bosses called for summit with Starmer as oil surges March 29, 2026 A number of senior leaders from the likes of HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Shell will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday as the government scrambles to help ease the unfolding energy crisis from the war in Iran. Top officials from the energy, finance and logistics sectors will attend the roundtable on Monday, [...]
US gearing up for ‘weeks of ground operations’ in Iran March 29, 2026 The US military is reportedly gearing up for “weeks of ground operations” in Iran in a move that will destroy optimism garnered over the last week that a peace deal could be on the horizon. Sources at the Pentagon have told the Washington Post that the potential operations would not amount to a full invasion, [...]
Has YouGov been barraged by Farage? March 25, 2026 Nigel Farage has never been shy in locking horns with big business. Just ask Dame Alison Rose, whose stint at Natwest came to a sharp halt after a row with Farage over a debanking. The British banker resigned after Natwest admitted to “serious failings” in closing the Reform UK leader’s account at its high-net-worth subsidiary [...]
Companies House disciplined over 100 staff for compliance breaches March 24, 2026 Over a hundred members of staff at under-fire Companies House faced disciplinary action for compliance breaches in the last three years. Fresh figures from a Freedom of Information request reveal the UK’s registry body for companies took action against 131 staff since December 2022. The disciplinary measures were a result of breaches relating to the [...]
Britain’s problem isn’t too few ministers, it’s too much government March 17, 2026 A little scrutinised bill will allow the government to put even more ministers on the payroll, laments Eliot Wilson Yesterday, behind the impenetrable shield of public indifference, the House of Commons will take all stages of the Ministerial Salaries (Amendment) Bill. It was introduced without fanfare on Thursday 5 March and received the ritual First [...]
Ed Miliband rejects ‘totally false’ calls to drill North Sea March 15, 2026 Ed Miliband has dismissed calls for the UK to exploit the North Sea’s oil supply, despite widespread calls to drill the area as fears of an energy shock rise amidst the war in the Middle East. The energy secretary said: “Some people want to go around and pretend that if we only we draw more [...]
‘Taxed to a standstill’ – UK economy grinds to a halt with no growth in January March 13, 2026 The UK economy saw zero growth in the first month of the year – before global markets were rocked by the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have handed a major blow to Rachel Reeves with the economy flat in January, compared to the 0.2 [...]