Healey condemns Reeves: ‘Our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury’ June 16, 2026 John Healey has delivered a stinging criticism of Rachel Reeves’ handling of defence spending, warning that the UK’s enemies “do not follow timetables set by the Treasury”. In his resignation speech in parliament, the former defence secretary took aim at Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves for failing to fully fund the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), [...]
Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban June 16, 2026 Elon Musk, Meta and Google’s YouTube have all attacked Keir Starmer’s planned social media ban for under-16s, warning the restrictions will drive teenagers towards less safe corners of the internet and create sweeping new surveillance powers. The backlash comes as ministers consider forcing Apple and Google to carry out age checks on millions of British [...]
Co-Op and Next among firms launching workplace savings scheme June 16, 2026 A new employer-led coalition designed to help workers build emergency savings and boost financial resilience has launched, urging employees to save regularly in order to avoid unexpected financial storms. The National Coalition for Workplace Savings was launched on Tuesday, representing firms across a range of sectors including retail, hospitality and transport, all urging employees to [...]
Nationwide fires starting gun on mortgage deals ahead of interest rate decision June 16, 2026 Nationwide has slashed its mortgage rates for the second time in the space of a week, ahead of the Bank of England’s interest rate decision on Thursday. The building society has taken the chop to its home loan prices, with a 0.28 percentage-point reduction. It follows a 0.12 cut on 10 June. The move comes [...]
As it happened: Stocks rally as Trump touts Iran deal at G7 summit; Oil lowest since early-March June 16, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global leaders are gathering today in France for the G7 summit as markets digest the latest developments in the US-Iran peace deal. Relief spread across global markets yesterday after the US and Iran were confirmed to have sealed a deal to stop the fighting in the Middle East [...]
Tiktok falls under ban just as brands ramp up ad spend June 16, 2026 Tiktok’s UK ad business has been growing 40 per cent year on year, with brands increasing spending ahead of what the firm expected to be its biggest trading period on record. But that momentum now faces a test after Keir Starmer confirmed plans to plan under-16s from accessing the platform. The social media giant, which [...]
Badenoch: City’s risk culture should be ‘championed’ to boost UK growth June 16, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the role of the City of London would be one of her central levers for driving economic growth, whilst suggesting that financial regulators have buckled to pressure from media and political leaders in recent years. In an address to City financiers, Badenoch will argue that the Square Mile [...]
‘Political point-scoring’ over bank rules risks investment exodus, top Nomura exec warns June 16, 2026 London’s biggest financial institutions could shift operations away from the UK if the government intensifies its regulatory grip on the City, a top City banker has warned. Chris Barlow, head of legal and compliance at Japanese bank Nomura’s European arm, said “short-termism and political point-scoring” in Westminster over financial regulation could exacerbate the burden faced by [...]
Rolls-Royce shares surge as SMR unit bags multi-billion pound Swedish nuclear contract June 15, 2026 Rolls-Royce’s special purpose vehicle for nuclear energy has secured a major win after locking down a multi-billion pound deal to build small modular reactors in Sweden. The FTSE 100 giant’s small modular reactor (SMR) unit, which is co-owned by Czech power company CEZ, designs and delivers factory-built nuclear power plants. Rolls-Royce SMR was selected by Swedish [...]
Investors ‘reluctant’ to splash cash on UK banks amid crisis in Number 10 June 15, 2026 UK banks’ stock prices are being slapped with a political risk premium, City analysts have warned, as turmoil in Downing Street threatens to rock the sector. The FTSE 350 bank index has had a choppy start to the year with financial stocks facing a hammering from the Iran war as investors trimmed their equities exposure. [...]