By: Samuel Norman

Senior City Reporter Samuel is a Senior City Reporter covering banking and fintech as well as stories on capital markets and economics. He also leads on City AM's morning liveblog from 7am everyday. He has previously written for the Daily Mail and The i Paper and worked for Sky News as an election stringer. He enjoys writing in-depth analysis of major blue-chip firms and start-ups and also industry trends. He can be contacted at samuel.norman@cityam.com and posts on LinkedIn and X at x.com/samnormanwrites.

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London local elections 2026: Who will win in Brent?

May 6, 2026

From conflict overseas to transport on the home front, several issues will test Labour’s hold on Brent in the upcoming local elections. Brent will be a place where Labour will be fighting several opponents. The home of Wembley Stadium, Brent is an apt council to showcase whether Labour suffers a heavy defeat or enjoys triumphant [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Bexley?

May 6, 2026

What has traditionally been a back and forth between Conservatives and Labour, for the forthcoming local elections Bexley is being viewed as Reform’s top shot at cracking London. In 2022, Bexley had a 5.2 per cent swing from Conservative to Labour but the Tories still managed to hold onto 33 seats, while Labour gained just [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barnet?

May 6, 2026

Labour faces a battle in defending Barnet in the local elections after recent surges in council tax and a flurry of defections since 2022. Barnet stands as a real test for both the Conservative and Labour party. What was traditionally a safe seat for the Tories flipped red in 2022 as Labour won the borough [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barking and Dagenham?

May 6, 2026

Labour will take the fight to Reform in its defence of Barking and Dagenham as it looks to continue its long-running hold on the borough. In 2022 Barking and Dagenham was painted a unanimous red. All 51 seats in the 232,747 strong borough went to Labour in a clean sweep, though turnout was 24.5 per [...]
A bank tax hangs in the balance at the local election ballot

May 6, 2026

As speculation of a leadership challenge – or sweeping reshuffle – surrounds the forthcoming local elections, in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what a change in Chancellor would mean for the banking sector. It is no secret that Thursday’s local elections carry a weight far heavier than the fate of a few neighbourhood [...]
HSBC profit drops after Iran war and private credit charges bite

May 5, 2026

HSBC missed its profit target in the first quarter of the year after the blue-chip lender booked a mammoth credit charge. The FTSE 100 giant – which boasts a huge £230bn market cap – recorded a pre-tax profit of $9.4bn (£6.5bn), missing the $9.6bn pencilled in by analysts. This figure is also down $100m on [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gilt yields surge over Starmer fears; Intel, Pinterest shares rocket

May 5, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Gilt yields have risen to their highest rate in nearly thirty years, as markets weigh up the prospect of an ousted Keir Starmer and lurch to a more left-wing government that might follow. The yield on 30-year government bonds rose 11 basis points on Tuesday [...]
‘Alarming’ lack of private credit understanding in finance bosses

May 5, 2026

The elusive nature of the private credit industry has been called further into question with fresh data revealing less than one in five financial services leaders fully understand their exposure to the sector. A fresh report from Big Four firm KPMG has found just 14 per cent of financial services executives believe they are fully [...]
Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs

May 5, 2026

The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
‘Inflection point’: Challenger banks loan growth halved in 2025

May 5, 2026

Challenger banks have reached an “inflection point” after loan growth across the industry halved in the last year, a fresh report has warned. New analysis from Big Four firm EY showed lending growth across UK challenger, specialist and digital banks slowed to 4.5 per cent in 2025, down from 8.9 per cent. This came as [...]

Kemi Badenoch warns of ‘Burnham premium’ on mortgages

Premier League + and why owning the broadcast isn’t owning the fan

Why now is the perfect time to visit Cyprus

By: Samuel Norman

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