By: Christian May

Editor-in-Chief Christian May is the Editor-in-Chief of City AM. He served in the role from 2015 to 2020 and returned in 2024. He writes the daily Editor's Letter for print and online and releases The Week in Business roundup video each Thursday. He is particularly interested in the health of London's capital markets, economic policy, politics, regulation and business activity in the City of London. He regularly appears in the broadcast media and presents a daily Business News slot on LBC at 0730, Monday to Friday. Find Christian on X and LinkedIn.

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Levelling up does not require cutting down

February 10, 2020

Towards the end of last year, this column suggested that 2020 “could be the year when the voice of the provinces is heard more clearly than the roar of the metropolis”. We recognised that the seizure by the Tories of scores of formerly safe Labour seats would mean a recalibration of Conservative priorities, indeed — [...]
The Lords will benefit from Square Mile lifers

February 7, 2020

If you were designing Britain’s constitutional system from scratch, it is unlikely the House of Lords in its current form would make it into the final draft of your masterplan. With 794 members, it is now the second largest legislative body in the world, trailing only the National People’s Congress of China in that dubious [...]
Alastair Stewart should take comfort in the reaction of his friends and fans

February 6, 2020

Last week this column made way for my interview with Sadiq Khan, so I didn’t have the chance to write about the outrageous treatment of broadcaster Alastair Stewart. In the week since, the veteran journalist has maintained a dignified silence, but the chorus of support from friends, colleagues and strangers has grown ever louder. To recap, [...]
Why Legal & General is trying to slay the chair and CEO role

February 4, 2020

Blackrock’s Larry Fink is a big fan of using shareholder muscle to influence corporate culture. From climate change to “profit with purpose” he’s vowed to exercise his fund’s substantial clout in pursuit of “sound corporate governance” and “an unwavering focus on long-term sustainability”. Fink’s eyebrows may have risen a little, then, upon discovering that fellow [...]
All eyes turn to China ahead of markets reopening

February 2, 2020

When China’s financial markets plunged into crisis in the late summer of 2015, the authorities in Beijing were left panicking. Having encouraged tens of millions of their citizens to invest in the stock market, they were unprepared for the consequences of a mass sell-off. As millions of small investors began to offload shares, the government [...]
Carney goes out not with a bang but a whimper

January 31, 2020

There may be a part of Mark Carney that will be glad to see the back of the Bank of England. His eight-year tenure, which ends in March, has been dominated by political turbulence and so, perhaps inevitably, rows about the politicisation of the Old Lady. Threadneedle Street is not alone in being pulled into [...]
Sadiq Khan interview: The London mayor talks tech tax, Brexit, Labour and Uber

January 30, 2020

There can be no doubt that last year’s General Election redrew Britain’s political landscape. But for an example of just how different things have become, consider that next week a Labour mayor of London will warn a Tory chancellor against imposing new taxes on multinational tech giants. Sadiq Khan tells me he enjoys a good [...]
City will be caught up in the Brexit fish fight

January 30, 2020

Last night, the European Parliament ratified the UK’s withdrawal agreement. After years of torturous wrangling following the Brexit referendum, MEPs delivered the final moment of theatre — complete with a rather touching rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Though the general message was one of friendship and enduring bonds, nobody should be in any doubt that a [...]
Britain is back. Great. But where to next?

January 27, 2020

The clash of ideologies personified by US President Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg dominated Davos and the coverage of this year’s World Economic Forum. Climate change was the main theme of the gathering and almost all of the public-facing events and speeches were dedicated to the cause. But alongside the forum’s preference for addressing these big-picture [...]
We should support Taiwan to the hilt

January 17, 2020

Some years ago I did some work that brought me into contact with Taiwan and, more importantly, a small but powerful group of figures in Westminster who had long seen the moral and strategic case for being on the side of Taipei’s government. As a consequence of this fleeting association, I saw firsthand the way [...]

Inflation stays below three per cent despite price warning

England’s secret weapon against World Cup heat? British company’s £26 product

Old Pulteney releases 50-year-old whisky for 200th anniversary

By: Christian May

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