Spring Statement: Reeves defends Labour’s agenda as growth forecast slashed March 3, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended Labour’s high tax and expenditure policies as new economic forecasts provided a bleaker outlook on growth and unemployment this year. In a statement to the House of Commons, Reeves said updated forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) showed her decisions as Chancellor were “starting to pay off”. Her [...]
Trump laments collapse of special relationship amid brawl with Starmer March 3, 2026 President Trump has described the breakdown of the special relationship as “very sad” amid a spat with Sir Keir Starmer on the UK’s refusal to allow military bases to be used for attacks on the Iranian regime. Trump has hit out at Starmer for the second consecutive day, claiming the Prime Minister had not been [...]
UK gas prices spike over 90 per cent amid US-Iran war March 3, 2026 Gas prices in the UK have nearly doubled as the war between US and Iran ramped up since the weekend. The price of UK wholesale gas prices – which reflect the costs energy suppliers pay to producers for natural gas before selling to household and businesses – has rocketed by 93 per cent in just [...]
Spring Statement Live: UK growth cut for 2026 but Reeves touts future forecasts March 3, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves delivered her Spring Statement today, as the Office for Budget Responsibility published its updated forecasts for the years ahead. The Chancellor was handed quite a hefty blow with the UK’s growth estimate for 2026 slashed to 1.1 per cent from 1.4 per cent the year prior. [...]
Reeves delivers Spring Statement as war rages and markets tremble March 3, 2026 Spare a thought for Rachel Reeves. She had hoped to make a Spring Statement that nobody noticed and yet today she has to deliver it as war rages in the Middle East, triggering warnings of energy price shocks, instability and inflation. There is a very real prospect that the economic forecasts to which the Chancellor [...]
Greens close gap with Labour in polls after historic by-election win March 3, 2026 The Greens are now biting at the heels of the Labour Party in national polling after its candidate Hannah Spencer stormed to a historic by-election win in Gorton and Denton last week. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll puts the Greens on 15 per cent, with Labour ahead of them by three points, a smaller [...]
Starmer is in denial over defence spending March 3, 2026 Keir Starmer’s dither and delay on defence spending is leaving Britain vulnerable in uncertain times, says Eliot Wilson Trades unions have no monopoly on wisdom. They are advocates for the interests of their members, and they have been wrong just as often as government or big business over the years. But on this occasion, Sharon [...]
Starmer is being squeezed from all directions March 3, 2026 Labour and the Conservatives have lost public trust and are being challenged by insurgents on both the left and the right, new polling shows, says Matthew Lesh Clowns to the left of me. Jokers to the right. Here’s Keir Starmer – stuck in the middle, losing you. The catastrophic defeat of the government by the [...]
Meet Reeves’ outsider tasked with steering the City to growth March 3, 2026 The City has rolled out the red carpet for the banking watchdog’s new chief after Katharine Braddick, a seasoned veteran of the financial trenches, was named on Friday as the successor to Sam Woods. For a cool £314,000 a year, she’s set to take on the brief of steering the UK’s banking sector. Chancellor Rachel [...]
Reeves to deliver ‘stability’ Spring Statement amid turmoil in Iran March 3, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver a Spring Statement trumpeting the UK’s economic stability against the backdrop of a war in the Middle East, with official forecasts expected to touch on lower growth, falling inflation and higher unemployment over the coming months. In an address to the House of Commons around 12.30pm today, Reeves [...]