‘Bond market meltdown’: UK borrowing costs highest since 1998 as Starmer fights for survival May 12, 2026 Warnings of a “bond market meltdown” flashed through the City on Tuesday after government borrowing costs soared as pressure mounted on Sir Keir Starmer’s future in Downing Street. For weeks, City investors have been on high alert as fears mounted that a mass rebellion would be triggered after devastating local election results. Traders fear the [...]
Starmer dares Labour rebels to trigger contest if they want him out May 12, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has told his Cabinet that challengers need to step up and trigger a contest if they want him to quit. Starmer said he took responsibility for the local election results but refused to resign in a statement to senior government ministers on Tuesday. He told ministers: “As I said yesterday, I take [...]
Wealth managers shares fall amid Starmer political storm May 12, 2026 A host of the City’s top listed wealth managers suffered sharp sell-offs on Tuesday morning as questions over Starmer’s future caused government borrowing costs to soar. Investors have been on alert since fears of a rebellion against Starmer began after last week’s local election results, with the spike in gilt yields now triggering a sell [...]
Chaos may well be preferable to Keir Starmer’s unyielding blankness May 12, 2026 Keir Starmer's promise for change is as convincing as a bad boyfriend's. MPs may well decide they prefer chaos to this neverending blandness.
Voters – and markets – fear a lurch to the left under new Labour PM May 12, 2026 A majority of voters are worried that a change of Labour leadership would drag the government further left, as support grows for lower taxes and less public spending. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters, conducted after the devastating council election results for Labour, also found 29 per cent of voters preferred Manchester [...]
Local elections were a death knell for two-party politics May 12, 2026 An era is distinctively over, but what takes its place, both in terms of who will lead the country and in the direction they will take, is far from clear, says Matthew Lesh “The old world is dying,” the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci said, “and the new world struggles to be born.” Last week was [...]
London’s prime property market isn’t collapsing May 12, 2026 Contrary to popular belief, London's prime property market isn't failing. But it is fundamentally changing, writes David Austin.
Changing the leader won’t save Labour – or the country May 12, 2026 The well-intentioned but hapless Labour backbencher, Catherine West, spent the weekend warning that if she didn’t like Keir Starmer’s speech she’d launch a leadership challenge in a bid to flush out more serious candidates. In the end, she backed down, but has called for a transition of power to a leader in September. She has [...]
Labour’s London wall has fallen. What now? May 12, 2026 Labour's London stronghold has finally broken. But what does that mean for the city and the next general election, asks John Dickie.
UK ministers tell UK businesses to ‘step up’ cyber defences May 12, 2026 Ministers have announced a new push to force firms to strengthen their cyber defences against AI-powered attacks, as Britain’s cyber industry has swelled to £14.7bn. According to new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) figures, Britain’s cyber sector saw a 11 per cent rise in the past twelve months, while the number of companies [...]