Top business group urges Healey to cut NICs to ‘solve Neets crisis’ August 25, 2026 One of Britain’s most influential business bodies has urged Chancellor John Healey to cut taxes for employers at the Budget in order to “solve” the crisis facing Neets, who are young people not in employment, education or training. In a report published on Tuesday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said Britain’s youth unemployment crisis [...]
As it happened: Stocks rally; US to unveil ‘economic D-Day’ Iran sanctions August 24, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 rallied on Monday afternoon following a brief slump in the early afternoon. Wier, Airtel Africa and Intercontinental Hotels Group led the index’s risers while Autotrader and Melrose Industries dragged on the index. The attention of investors is trained on the other side of the Atlantic, [...]
Lord O’Neill declines job in Burnham government August 21, 2026 Former Goldman Sachs executive and Tory Treasury minister Lord Jim O’Neill has declined a job in Andy Burnham’s government, in a blow to the Prime Minister as he looks to woo business ahead of the Budget. O’Neill served as an informal economic adviser to Burnham before his election as Labour leader and had been in [...]
Healey oversees unexpected rise in borrowing in first month as Chancellor August 21, 2026 John Healey oversaw an unexpected deficit in the public finances in his first month as Chancellor, according to new data, in a sign the government may be more restricted than first thought ahead of its first budget. New figures released on Friday showed that government borrowing hit £1.8bn in July. Markets had expected the Office for [...]
Consumer confidence extends upward streak in boost to Burnham and Healey August 21, 2026 Consumer confidence rose for the fourth straight month in August in a sign that Brits are buying into the government’s push to tackle the cost of living, a leading survey has suggested. GfK’s consumer confidence index rose to -14 this month, up three points from the net score last month. Consumer confidence has been rising [...]
Healey told tax rises for fiscal remedy are ‘not required’ August 20, 2026 Chancellor John Healey does not have to raise taxes to offer the UK economy “immediate remedial action” at the Budget, a top City economist has said. Panmure Liberum economist Simon French, who formerly worked at the Treasury, said the fiscal outlook for the government would be “broadly in the same position” as in the beginning [...]
Industry chief warns ‘resilience not enough’ for growth August 18, 2026 The boss of Britain’s largest industry body has warned the government that “resilience alone” would not boost growth in the UK, firing the starting gun on two months of policy lobbying ahead of a pivotal Autumn Budget. Writing exclusively for City AM, the boss of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has urged the government [...]
Labour backbencher adds to criticism of stamp duty on shares August 17, 2026 A Labour backbencher with experience in the financial services sector has urged Healey to reconsider stamp duty on shares in UK trading. Callum Anderson, the Labour MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, set out a list of growth policies for Healey to prioritise at the Budget. The proposals break from some of the party’s current economic [...]
Burnham’s crackdown on ‘price-gouging’ splits supermarkets August 17, 2026 Tesco and Sainsbury’s have stood firm after the boss of Aldi hit out at loyalty discounts, as a “price-gouging” row threatens to divide British supermarkets. Giles Hurley, the chief executive of the discount grocer, has backed the government’s plans to clamp down on retailers which offer “misleading” discounts which do not offer real-terms value. Aldi [...]
JP Morgan boss issues bank tax warning to John Healey August 17, 2026 The boss of JP Morgan has issued a bank tax warning to John Healey as the Chancellor gears up to deliver his first Budget in October. Jamie Dimon, who has led Wall Street’s biggest bank since 2006, held a call with Healey on Thursday where the bank chief emphasised “getting public policy right” as crucial [...]