Reeves rent freeze proposal dubbed ‘disaster’ for renters and landlords April 28, 2026 Rachel Reeves has fuelled rumours she is considering a rent freeze as leading economists said the policy would be a “disaster” for renters and landlords. Addressing the Commons on Tuesday afternoon, the Chancellor was asked by a Labour MP to implement a freeze on private rents. “I will do everything in my power and use [...]
Barclays shares slide as sour loan provisions balloon to £823m April 28, 2026 Barclays made a mammoth reservation for bad loans in the first quarter led by the hostilities in the global market and a single name charge in its investment banking division. The blue-chip lender set aside £823m for potential loan losses, up from £643m in the same period last year, in a stark sign the firm [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks dip as oil edges higher; BP posts profit boom April 28, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil returned to a three-week high comfortably over the $105 mark on Monday and those gains look set to continue today. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – edged over $110 on Tuesday morning as it once again appeared peace talks in [...]
Global infrastructure spending to surpass $150 trillion by 2050 April 28, 2026 Global infrastructure spending is projected to surpass $150 trillion through 2050, as countries look to modernise systems to meet growing AI and electrification demands. Annual global infrastructure spending is forecast to climb from $4.4 trillion (£3.2 trillion) in 2024 to $6.9 trillion in 2050, ultimately driving investment of $151.1 trillion, according to the latest findings [...]
King’s Cross puts London on the AI map April 28, 2026 A description of King’s Cross a little over 20 years ago sounds like something from a Dickens novel. It was “a place of decay, dereliction, crime and filth” – known for drugs and prostitution. Some readers may remember its rave scene but for most people it was a no-go area. That opening description comes from [...]
Labour peer tells Reeves not to use headroom as ‘piggy bank’ for spending April 28, 2026 A Labour peer has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to avoid using her larger fiscal headroom as a “piggy bank” to fund extra government spending increases. A report by senior House of Lords members said the Chancellor should add further protections to public finances, leaping to the defence of the Office for Budget Responsibility for improving [...]
‘Drag on prosperity’: Next boss demands planning system overhaul in rallying cry for growth April 27, 2026 The UK’s planning rulebook should be torn up in favour of a market-based system, the boss of one of the country’s biggest listed companies has said, as he urged government ministers to take a “radical” approach to kickstarting economic growth. Speaking at the Centre for Policy Studies conference in the heart of the City, Lord [...]
London named share buyback capital of the world April 27, 2026 The UK has jumped up the leader board to be named the share buyback capital of the world, as companies looked to capitalise on low valuations and improved investor sentiment. Nearly 60 per cent of UK large cap companies bought their stock back in bulk in the last 12 months, according to the latest research [...]
Jenrick to re-write ‘Britannia Card’ plan for wealthy investors April 27, 2026 Reform UK are set to revise the terms of its ‘Britannia Card’ proposal, which was drafted as the party’s bid to lure wealthy foreign investors to the UK, Robert Jenrick has revealed. Jenrick, who is Reform’s Treasury spokesman, hinted that party officials were working on a proposal that was “even better” than a policy announced [...]
Bank of England dissenters expected to back interest rate hikes April 27, 2026 Economists have suggested that at least two members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) could vote for interest rates to be hiked later this week. Analysts at JP Morgan, BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs have predicted that hawkish policymakers will push back against leaving interest rates unchanged. The Bank’s chief economist Huw [...]