Bank of England Live: Interest rates held in first unanimous vote in eight years March 19, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s ongoing coverage of the interest rates decision. Interest rates have been held as rate-setters at the Bank of England warned the war in Iran could send prices spiralling as soon as April. In the first totally unanimous vote in eight years, all members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to [...]
AI will not replace auditors’ judgment, says regulator chief March 19, 2026 The rise of AI presents a critical moment for the accountancy profession to prove that its “value-add” goes beyond tasks that can be automated, according to the industry’s watchdog boss. Speaking to City AM, Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), said that with every technological shift, the accountancy sector loses low-level [...]
Zack Polanski’s economic agenda is dangerous…and popular March 19, 2026 There was a time when the Green Party was all about recycling, rewilding and veganism, but these days the economy forms the centrepiece of their pitch to voters. Yesterday their leader, Zack Polanksi, set out his party’s economic vision and he started with a diagnosis. He said people feel like they’re “running every day just to [...]
UK to raise steel tariffs in bid to ‘save domestic production’ March 19, 2026 The UK government has reduced steel import quotas and raised tariffs to 50 per cent outside unit limits as part of a strategy to save the industry, an “bold” move that is likely to draw criticism from economists and opposition groups. Quotas for imports free from the higher tariffs will be reduced by 60 per [...]
MPs urge government to escape ‘regulation by default’ March 18, 2026 Ministers should overhaul the government’s approach to regulation as adding new rules has become an “easy” tool, according to a report backed by MPs from across the political spectrum. Researchers at Re:State, a non-partisan think tank focusing on growth and Whitehall governance, said justification for new red tape should have a higher bar and be [...]
Badenoch says ‘strong woman’ should replace Starmer March 18, 2026 Kemi Badenoch called for a “strong woman” to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister after repeated refusals to answer whether he spoke to Lord Peter Mandelson before appointing him as ambassador to the US. Badenoch attacked Starmer for deflecting questions about Mandelson, even as the Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed last week that it was [...]
City fears Rayner’s rise as she warns Starmer that Labour is ‘running out of time’ March 18, 2026 Angela Rayner’s ascendancy to the Labour leadership has been flagged as a risk for public finances as the former deputy prime minister said the party was “running out of time”. At a rally on Tuesday night, Rayner suggested that Labour was viewed as representing “the establishment” and said the party’s survival was “at stake”. She [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Diploma leads stocks as pound ticks up; Oil dips March 18, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.8 per cent higher on Tuesday at 10,403.60p. The gains were accompanied by a stronger performance from the pound, which finished up $1.334 by the time London markets closed, compared to $1.329 on Monday. Sterling and the City were [...]
Political comfort blanket masquerading as a growth strategy March 18, 2026 Rachel Reeves has warned that we’ve entered “an age of insecurity” – and she wasn’t referring to Keir Starmer’s precarious grip on power. In declaring that “globalisation as we’ve known it is over” the Chancellor set out her response to this hard-edged new reality, focusing on regional growth, closer ties with the EU and a [...]
State handouts for oil are no way to help the poorest March 18, 2026 If government steps in whenever there is a so-called crisis then people will stop saving for a rainy day in the false belief government will always be there to supply them with an umbrella, says Charles Amos This week Keir Starmer announced a £53m support package for vulnerable people who use oil as their main [...]