Farage: Foreign donations row is ‘loose pub talk’ September 4, 2026 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has shrugged off concerns over comments made by senior party figures on accepting foreign donations via middle men, describing their behaviour as “loose pub talk”. Reform has faced a gruelling 24 hours after a Channel 4 investigation filmed Farage’s chief of staff Dan Jukes and Reform’s head of policy Dr [...]
Inflation expectations softer than predicted ahead of interest rate decision September 4, 2026 Firms intend to raise prices over the next year on average at a lower rate than many economists have expected, Bank of England research has shown, easing concerns that the UK economy is heading for a deeper cost of living crisis. The Decision Makers’ Panel, a Bank survey of how far firms plan to raise [...]
Don’t underestimate the free trade agreement Britain just joined September 4, 2026 The UK’s entry into the CPTPP, the world's largest free trade area that does not include the US, EU or China, should not be underestimated.
As it happened: FTSE 100 wavers as weak housebuilding drives faster construction downturn September 4, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. The UK’s blue chip index made a soft start on Friday morning, as investors brace for a US jobs report and digest the latest signs of a worsening downturn in the UK’s construction sector. Borrowing costs have eased slightly, after a global rout on government bonds threatened [...]
Lloyd’s boss warns of ‘man-made catastrophes’ as Iran war hits insurance industry September 4, 2026 Squeezed by inflation and rising geopolitical tensions, the historic insurance market Lloyd’s of London suffered a hit to its profit in the first half of the year. Nowhere was this impact more acute than in its marine business, which faced severe pressure at the height of the US war with Iran. Over the past six [...]
Jenrick refuses to rule out bank tax September 3, 2026 Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman refused to rule out a banking tax mooted by the party’s leader Nigel Farage, who said he would hit lenders because he didn’t “like” them. Speaking at a Reform conference event organised by City industry representatives, Jenrick said the party had not committed to banking taxes. However, the party’s economic chief [...]
Healey’s adviser warns ‘you won’t grow the economy just by spending more’ September 3, 2026 John Healey’s entrepreneurship adviser has warned that growth cannot be achieved by government spending and policy announcements, in a rebuke to the Chancellor and Andy Burnham as they draw up their first budget. Alexandra Depledge, the founder of property start-up Resi, who has been reappointed as entrepreneurship adviser to the Chancellor, wrote on Linkedin that [...]
Tower of London curbs on skyscrapers ‘will cost City £1.2bn’ September 3, 2026 Plans to protect views of the Tower of London will cost the economy £1.2bn in lost economic output every year, the City of London Corporation has warned. Historic England, the government’s heritage watchdog, is battling to secure a “larger uninterrupted gap of clear sky” between the medieval prison and the cluster of skyscrapers on the [...]
INEOS boss: North Sea decommissioning is ideological and destructive September 3, 2026 From 2029, decommissioning spending will overtake capital investment in the North Sea. This is economic self-harm, writes Brian Gilvary.
John Lewis boss: UK economy facing a ‘permacrisis’ September 3, 2026 The boss of John Lewis has warned that the UK economy is locked in a “permacrisis” as he urged the government not to hike business rates on large retailers. Peter Ruis, the outgoing managing director of the retail giant, said that British businesses are facing a “permacrisis externally [which] isn’t going to go away”. Last [...]