As it happened: FTSE 100 jumps as oil falls back; Warsh says ‘work to do’ on inflation August 28, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index extended gains on Friday after some pressures in the oil market eased off. Oil prices reared back up on Thursday night, reversing days of losses earlier in the week. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – jumped [...]
Mike Ashley slams Burnham’s ‘populist’ plans to revive high street August 27, 2026 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has blasted Andy Burnham’s proposals to revive the British high street as “populist” and “too little too late”. The billionaire Sports Direct and Frasers Group founder has written to the Prime Minister accusing him of failing to tackle the cost of living with “delusional” policies. The causes of the UK’s rising [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 falls but Nasdaq soars after Nvidia sales boom August 27, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue chip index suffered heavy losses on Thursday, as murky US inflation data overshadowed Nvidia’s sales triumph. While headline inflation fell back, the Fed’s preferred measure – the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) – is still running hot at 3.7 per cent. Investors [...]
Lloyds and Natwest flaunt social credentials as fears grow of Burnham tax grab August 26, 2026 Lloyds and Natwest are flaunting their community credentials and pledging a raft of new social investment initiatives as fears grow that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will launch a punishing tax raid on the sector with the government’s first Budget. The two lenders are among a group of top UK banks looking to prove they can [...]
‘Broken promises’: Burnham under fire on cost-of-living plans as energy bills set to surge August 26, 2026 Andy Burnham is facing pressure over his commitment to tackle the cost-of-living crisis as energy bills are set to jump again. Opposition figures have accused the Prime Minister of breaking Labour’s pledge to cut household energy bills, with one Tory figure dubbing the price hike “outrageous”. The price cap on bills is set to rise [...]
As it happened: Antofagasta leads FTSE 100 rally; oil falls as US-Iran deal ‘close’ August 26, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue-chip index slipped on Wednesday morning, dragged down by oil majors BP and Shell, before recovering later in the day to be level with Tuesday’s close. Brent crude – the international benchmark – fell by more than two per cent on Wednesday to $86 [...]
Burnham shelves Thames Water administration plans over costs August 25, 2026 Andy Burnham has paused plans to take public control of Thames Water over fears that it could saddle the taxpayer with a bill running into the billions of pounds. The Prime Minister had been considering putting the struggling utility into a special administration regime (SAR), which would allow the government to take partial control of [...]
Andy Burnham hints at tax rises in Autumn Budget August 25, 2026 Andy Burnham has suggested tax rises could be on the cards in the looming Autumn Budget, warning he “won’t be unrealistic” over the state of the public purse. The Prime Minister quickly pledged to give people “breathing space” and ease the cost of living after taking the keys to No.10 last month. But in fresh [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 jumps in best streak since May; Vistry, Melrose lead risers August 25, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The blue-chip index jumped on Tuesday to extend its best winning streak since May. Melrose Industries led the FTSE 100 after the completion of a probe into a chemical incident in California, while Vistry gained 18 per cent on the FTSE 250 after winning cash in [...]
Burnham accused of ‘piecemeal’ business rates reform August 24, 2026 Andy Burnham has been accused of taking a “piecemeal” approach to business rates instead of committing to Labour’s manifesto pledge to replace the tax system. The government has launched a review into how business rates bills are calculated for pubs and hotels, but industry bodies have urged the Prime Minister to commit to wholesale reform [...]