By: Mauricio Alencar

Politics and Economics Reporter Maurício Alencar is City AM’s Politics and Economics Reporter. He covers the state's relationship with the City of London and UK business, jumping between Westminster and the Square Mile. He picks up all stories on UK economics data ranging from inflation to immigration, as well as the Bank of England, the Treasury, business surveys, and all stories important or interesting to the decision-makers. He used to cover sports, foreign news and home news at various publications – plus investigations, which he plans to continue to pursue.

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TfL to spend £100m a year on cleaning tubes amid graffiti spat

January 13, 2026

Commuters will foot an annual £100m bill for cleaning tubes and buses over the next five years, City AM can reveal, with transport officials hoping a new provider will help to wipe out graffiti across the network. Transport for London (TfL), which is chaired by Mayor Sadiq Khan, revealed it signed a contract with the [...]
Stride vows to protect OBR in new dividing line with Farage

January 12, 2026

Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has vowed to protect the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in any future Conservative government, drawing a dividing line with Reform’s Nigel Farage on approaches to controlling public finances. Stride is expected to re-establish the Conservative Party’s firm commitment to maintaining the fiscal watchdog as an independent body scoring the effects [...]
Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform as polling lead extended

January 12, 2026

Former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has defected to Reform UK as fresh polling has shown the party extending its lead over Labour and the Tories. Zahawi, a former ally of Boris Johnson who served as Chancellor for a matter of months, announced his high-profile defection in a press conference in Westminster on Monday. Along with new [...]
No growth expected for November due to late Budget

January 12, 2026

New GDP figures this week will show zero growth in the UK economy as weeks of uncertainty around the Budget weighed down on activity in November, according to economists. A Bloomberg poll of economists predicted the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to write in zero GDP growth in the second last month of the year. [...]
Jobseeker numbers rise ‘sharply’ in labour market setback

January 12, 2026

The number of jobseekers rose “sharply” in December alongside a slump in demand for new hires, analysis has shown, posing a threat to the future of the UK labour market. Analysis of S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) indicated the jobs market weakened further at the end of last year, undermining hopes of a recovery [...]
Business confidence lowest in nearly five years, BDO says

January 12, 2026

Business confidence fell to its lowest level in nearly five years, an advisory company indicated, as the Labour government is expected to oversee a small improvement in the UK economy this year. BDO’s optimism index, which tracks sentiment by surveying 4,000 executives, dropped to its weakest reading since January 2021 at the end of last [...]
Migrant visa applications plummet in test to Reeves

January 10, 2026

Migrants’ skilled worker visa applications plummeted in December, posing a test to Rachel Reeves and economists at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to take control of public finances. New figures showed that the number of skilled worker visa applications dropped to 2,500 in December, having increased to a peak of 10,100 in April 2024. [...]
Venezuela is ‘uninvestable’ as Trump unnerves market analysts

January 10, 2026

Venezuela is “uninvestable” and requires sweeping reforms before oil giants can support US ambitions, a top chief executive has warned Donald Trump, in a warning that comes amid growing concerns the president is set to rattle markets and hit global economies. ExxonMobil boss Darren Woods appeared to distance the company from the president’s ambitions to [...]
Pound to suffer ‘until May’ amid Starmer leadership troubles

January 9, 2026

Sterling will suffer from speculation over Keir Starmer’s leadership until at least the May elections, economists have predicted, with 2026 tipped to become another year where Westminster infighting sparks City jitters. Analysts at Investec have suggested that the further strengthening of the pound will be held back by continued questions over Starmer’s authority across the [...]
Fiscal rules are a ‘self-awarded badge of honour’ that ‘make no difference’

January 9, 2026

Fiscal rules are “largely ineffective” and fail to impose discipline on public expenditure, a new report has said, bringing into question claims made by UK Chancellors and the International Monetary Fund that a clear list of targets can stabilise public finances. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has held up her “iron-clad” fiscal rules, which hinge on changing [...]

Bank of England’s Mann says minimum wage rise linked to youth employment

Macclesfield FC: FA Cup heroes in talks with ‘huge’ foreign investors

Valentine’s Day: Fancy a romantic bowl of chocolate spaghetti?

By: Mauricio Alencar

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