UK growth spurt ‘too good to be true’ April 16, 2026 The UK economy’s growth spurt is “too good to be true”, analysts have warned, as economists said Rachel Reeves should intervene on the country’s energy policy. ING’s James Smith said the latest data showing a 0.5 per cent jump in growth was consistent with trends seen over recent years where the UK economy has fired [...]
UK economy jumped above forecasts before Iran war April 16, 2026 The UK economy was growing ahead of expectations before the war in the Middle East erupted, official data has shown. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said GDP grew by 0.5 per cent over February, though City analysts have suggested the figures are “too good to be true” given trends seen in recent years. In [...]
Flagstone boss: Labour tax changes the biggest driver of savers choosing cash over stocks and shares April 16, 2026 Britain’s unpredictable tax landscape means households are choosing to build up war chests of cash over other assets like stocks and bonds, the boss of Britain’s largest savings platform has said in a blow to government efforts to boost retail investing. Flagstone chief executive Arman Tahmassebi said his clients were adding to their cash savings [...]
Exclusive: Treasury and regulator to hold crunch talks with UK fintech unicorns April 16, 2026 Top fintech bosses will lock horns with Treasury and watchdog officials next week as the industry lobbies for key regulatory reforms, City AM can reveal. Several of the nation’s fastest-growing companies are set to meet City Minister Lucy Rigby on Tuesday as part of a flurry of key summits in UK fintech week. The City [...]
Reeves says diplomacy is ‘best economy policy’ as UK tax burden to mount April 15, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that de-escalating the war in the Middle East is the “best economic policy” to protect growth as the International Monetary Fund showed the UK tax burden was set to deepen at a faster pace than any country. Speaking at a CNBC event in Washington, Reeves doubled down on her attacks [...]
Standard Life’s Briggs warns ‘retirement adequacy is a genuine concern’, as £2bn Aegon deal unveiled April 15, 2026 The boss of one of the UK’s largest pension providers has spoken out on the state of the nation’s retirement financing on the day he unveiled a blockbuster industry takeover. Andy Briggs, chief executive of Standard Life, told City AM that “retirement adequacy is a genuine concern” and pointed to further potential dealmaking. He noted [...]
‘I will not yield’: Starmer dismisses Trump’s trade threat as ‘pressure’ April 15, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed President Donald Trump’s threat to change a trade deal struck between the US and the UK as “pressure”. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey used a question in parliament to say Trump had treated the UK “like a mafia boss running a protection racket” after he threatened to change a [...]
Bank of England: Andrew Bailey warns AI models could ‘crack’ cyber systems April 15, 2026 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned that a new AI model designed by a Silicon Valley company could “crack” cybersecurity systems, adding that the the technology poses a continuous challenge for key institutions. Speaking at an event in New York, Bailey suggested Mythos Claude, which was created by Anthropic, presented a threat to [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery as Trump eyes Iran ‘grand bargain’; Reeves to meet Bessent April 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Hopes of peace talks in the Middle East were back on the table this morning, though markets weren’t holding there breathe after weeks of bait-and-switches. Donald Trump described the war with Iran as “close to over” during an interview with Fox news. “I think it’s [...]
IMF downgrade Reeves is gaslighting voters on energy crisis April 15, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to urge other countries to “follow her plan” for the energy crisis, but international analysts expect Britain to perform the worst among comparable nations thanks to decisions she has made, says Alys Denby The war in Iran has come at the worst possible time for a government already struggling to command [...]