As it happened: US-Iran peace hopes sends oil lower; Brits handed energy price cap blow May 27, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global markets were able to take the new developments in the Middle East in their stride on Tuesday amid hopes a peace deal was on the horizon. The FTSE 100 ended the day in the green and despite some choppy trading oil prices eased. This [...]
Andy Briggs: UK is hurtling towards a pensions disaster May 27, 2026 Without radical change, Britain will find itself amidst a pensions disaster, with millions worse off, writes Andy Briggs.
Starmer’s steel tariffs are as hare-brained as Trump’s May 27, 2026 Contrary to supporting the industry, Starmer's steel tariffs will push manufacturing offshore and invite retaliatory EU action, writes Andrew Griffith.
An Inspector Calls at Nationwide’s annual general meeting May 27, 2026 In 49 days An Inspector Calls at the Nationwide annual general meeting and in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what he could be asking. Also on the agenda… after annual report season, it’s time for Starling to go full throttle on Engine. Not since the keen-eyed Inspector Goole shattered the comfortable illusions of [...]
Wes Streeting’s capital gains tax plan risks ‘disrupting’ growth May 26, 2026 Wes Streeting’s plans to align capital gains taxes while introducing an investment allowance could be “disruptive” for growth as City advisers have become divided over the benefits of sweeping reforms. Streeting told the BBC last week that he backed a plan, first proposed by the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (Centax) and later adopted [...]
London makes up more than a third of UK corporation tax receipts May 26, 2026 London accounts for more than a third of total corporation tax receipts across the UK, new data analysed by City AM has shown. Data shared by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown that London makes up around 36 per cent of total corporation tax income generated each year, highlighting the capital city’s dominance [...]
David Lammy rejects higher pay rise for judges amid recruitment crisis May 26, 2026 David Lammy turned down an independent recommendation for a higher judicial pay increase, instead approving a 3.5 per cent rise amid government efforts to tackle recruitment challenges for senior judges. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report, published last week, recommended a 3.8 per cent pay increase across the judiciary, estimated to cost taxpayers around [...]
As it happened: Petrol prices surge to Iran war record as Kingfisher helps lift stocks higher May 26, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The City is returning from the Bank Holiday break to find the tensions in the Middle East continuing in a stalemate – or perhaps a further escalation than last week. After days of threats President Donald Trump has issued a strike on Iran, which he [...]
Labour has become the party of welfare, not work May 26, 2026 A generous interpretation of events would be to concede that Labour has avoided any attempt at welfare reform because it’s been waiting for the conclusions of Alan Milburn’s review into the crisis of youth unemployment. Milburn, who served as health secretary under Tony Blair, will publish the first part of his government-commissioned report this week, [...]
End quantitative tightening now May 26, 2026 Ending active quantitative tightening is not monetary loosening. The Bank must stop adding avoidable pressure to the gilt market.