City grandees call for revival of ‘animal spirits’ on Big Bang anniversary October 27, 2026 City grandees have called on the government to revive “animal spirits” in London’s capital markets and accelerate regulatory reform on the anniversary of the Big Bang. Industry leaders told City AM the City has enjoyed decades of success since the sweeping deregulation of the Square Mile in 1986 but Britain’s financial services industry is now [...]
HSBC shares sink after revenue misses expectations October 27, 2026 Shares in HSBC plunged this morning with billions wiped from its market value after the bank missed revenue expectations in the third-quarter. The FTSE 100 bank’s stock slid seven per cent in early trading to 1,269.0p in a move that shed around £16bn from the firm’s market capitalisation. It also put it on track to [...]
Budget 2026: Will the real John Healey please stand up? October 27, 2026 John Healey is set to deliver his first Budget although business chiefs, trade unionists and bond traders are still unsure of what to expect. Maurício Alencar reports on whether he can assert his authority on Wednesday. In the period between Sir Keir Starmer leaving Number 10 and Andy Burnham taking over, ambitious Labour figures vied [...]
Does the government realise the rich aren’t leaving on a whim? October 27, 2026 From experience advising high net worth individuals, the “exodus of wealth” is rarely a decision taken lightly, writes Yorke Eaton.
Farage: ‘Loathsome’ banks should not be hit with new tax October 26, 2026 Nigel Farage has said that banks should not be hit with new taxes at this week’s Budget in a partial U-turn on his previous position. Earlier this year, the Reform UK leader vowed to scrap interest payments lenders receive on deposits at the Bank of England, a move that would be widely regarded as a [...]
The anatomy of a bank tax: what can the UK learn from Europe? October 26, 2026 With days to go until John Healey delivers a Budget expected to target banks with a cash raid, Samuel Norman looks at the UK bank tax framework and other experiments across Europe. For years City lobbyists managed to bat away demands for a bank tax hike. As Chancellor, despite delivering two tax-heavy Budgets, Rachel Reeves [...]
Financial advisers feel the effects of Reeves’ final tax raid as Healey’s Budget looms October 26, 2026 Financial advisers are feeling the effects of Rachel Reeves’ final Budget, as families brace for billions of pounds of tax rises regardless of what chancellor John Healey announces at the despatch box later this week. From April next year, the sweeping shake up to the tax system announced by Reeves in 2025 will come into [...]
Tech bosses warn Chancellor UK risks surrendering to foreign AI giants October 26, 2026 Britain risks becoming dangerously dependent on foreign tech giants unless the government develops a comprehensive strategy for its own AI, industry leaders have warned the Chancellor ahead of his Budget on Wednesday. UKAI, which represents more than 270 AI businesses, has urged John Healey to commit substantial funding to a national sovereign AI strategy, warning [...]
Healey must beware the ripple effects of Britain’s messy tax system October 26, 2026 A good tax system isn’t just about raising revenue, it's about encouraging the behaviours (working, saving, investing) that create a prosperous economy.
Autumn Budget 2026: bank tax will put the City’s success at risk October 26, 2026 It is 40 years since the Big Bang unleashed London to become the global financial centre that it is, but by hammering the sector with windfall taxes, John Healey risks putting that success at risk, says Chris Hayward Nigel Lawson’s Big Bang took London from a globally competitive financial and professional services sector to what [...]