As it happened: Stocks plummet on latest Iran war tensions; Neets crisis a ‘human tragedy’ Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The US and Iran are back to exchanging fire in a major blow to hopes of peace in the Middle East. Tehran struck an American airbase overnight in its retaliation for the US striking a military site that it said “posed a threat to US forces [...]
As it happened: Choppy finish for FTSE 100 as global markets rocked by AI sell-off Markets Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Businesses have raised the alarm over falling vacancies as new data showed a further weakening in the jobs market. Vacancies remained at a five-year low in April 2026, with a leading industry group saying recruiters were “pausing” plans to hire workers. The British Chambers of Commerce’s head of [...]
Petroineos: Sir Jim Ratcliffe-backed energy giant loses $250m Energy Petroineos, the energy trading company backed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, lost $250m (£187.5m) in 2024 as it slumped into the red for the first time since 2020, it has been revealed. The Jersey-based business has reported the pre-tax loss after posting a profit of $30m in 2023. The results for the previous financial year were [...]
Change windfall tax to make £137bn by 2050, Chancellor told September 1, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been urged to reform the windfall tax in a move that could boost the economy by £137bn by 2050. Ahead of the start of its conference in Aberdeen this week, trade body Offshore Energy UK (OEUK) released a report claiming replacing the energy profits levy next year with a profits-based mechanism [...]
BP CEO takes huge pay cut as profit slashed at FTSE 100 giant March 6, 2025 The chief executive of BP has taken a £2.3m pay cut as profit was slashed at the FTSE 100 giant. Murray Auchincloss received a pay packet of £5.4m for 2024, down from the £7.7m he received in 2023. The drop came amid a more than £1.1m cut to his bonus to £734,000, and a £1.6m [...]
BP ramps up fossil fuel spending and rows back on green targets February 26, 2025 BP will dial up its spending on oil and gas by $10bn (£7.9bn), slash its investment into renewable energy and offload $20bn of underperforming assets as part of a major strategic overhaul that aims to boost its beleaguered share price. In a much anticipated – and delayed – announcement from boss Murray Auchincloss, the British [...]
Cut taxes for BP and Shell to protect UK from Trump’s trade war, Rachel Reeves told February 6, 2025 Oil giants such as BP and Shell who operate in the North Sea should be given huge tax breaks to help protect the UK against Donald Trump’s burgeoning trade war, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told. Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the UK government to reduce the 78 per cent tax [...]
Rosebank: Britain’s future ‘not in more oil and gas’, energy minister warns February 4, 2025 The UK’s future “does not lie in more oil and gas”, an energy minister has told MPs, just days after a court ruled against consent for two new fields in the North Sea. A judge last week upheld a legal challenge by environmental campaigners against the decision to grant consent to two new oil and [...]
The Notebook: On the lookout for common sense at Labour Party Conference September 23, 2024 As Labour Party Conference kicks off, Matthew Elliott lays out what he is on the lookout for (including his favourite Liverpool pub).
Oil and gas windfall tax increase may cost economy £13bn, trade body warns September 2, 2024 The government's changes to the windfall tax will have a £13bn hit to the economy, the sector's industry body has claimed.