Will Andy Burnham’s stockpile missive start a tinned food revolution? Analysis If you are old enough to remember 70s London you will have heard of Big Biba, the fashion retailer that expanded into a huge, seven-storey department store on Kensington High Street in 1974. The opening of Big Biba mesmerised Londoners: the shopping experience was unlike anything else. The walls were adorned with groovy patterns while [...]
‘Punished in every way’: British firms say they’ll be worse off after the Budget Economics Most British businesses expect to take a hit from last week’s Budget in a damning verdict a week on from John Healey’s inaugural set-piece fiscal speech. As much as 52 per cent of firms expect their business to be worse off as a result of policies announced in the Budget, while one in five say [...]
Drax unveils £20bn plans for new data centre – powered by burning wood Energy Energy company Drax has unveiled plans to build a new data centre at the site of its North Yorkshire power plant, which uses wood as fuel. The FTSE 250 firm’s biomass plant is predominantly powered by wood pellets, but also uses straw and sunflower pellets. The company said it intends to use surplus energy capacity [...]
Revealed: The luxury London pads getting Healey’s energy handout – while poorer areas miss out October 30, 2026 John Healey’s energy bills support package was meant to be targeted. But a City AM analysis has found homes worth millions are in line for a handout, while others in poorer areas will get nothing. John Healey’s maiden fiscal event was nothing if not targeted. Painful tax rises – be they on banks or gambling [...]
BP shares lift as oil giant cheers surge in profit October 30, 2026 BP has reported a surge in profit after the disruption to fuel supplies caused by the war in Iran turbocharged its margins. The FTSE 100 firm reported earnings of $8.5bn (£6.3bn) for the third quarter, a near-quadrupling compared to the same period last year, smashing analyst estimates. The company has halved its debt over the [...]
Britain’s oldest brewery unveils £15m plan to move to new site October 29, 2026 Britain’s oldest brewery is to sell off land and move to a new site, in a £15m investment plan that seeks to safeguard the future of its operations. Shepherd Neame, which is based in Faversham, Kent where it has been brewing ale since the 17th century, intends to put much of its existing footprint in [...]
Budget 2026: Four OBR forecasts lay bare Britain’s fiscal vulnerability October 29, 2026 If you’re in a good mood, why not consider ruining it by reading this week’s OBR report. The fiscal watchdog paints a bleak picture of the health of the British economy and the public finances over the rest of this Parliament – one in which the UK is in a steady state of decline, funding [...]
‘Is that it?’: Badenoch lays into Healey Budget speech October 28, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has poured scorn on Labour’s welfare spending plans as she slammed John Healey’s inaugural Budget speech. The Conservative leader admonished the Chancellor for failing to cut levels of government spending and said the government was to blame for a fall in growth projections next year from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). “I [...]
Budget 2026 Live: Healey introduces pension tax allowance and lays out bank surcharge plans October 28, 2026 Welcome to City AM‘s Budget liveblog. The Chancellor has delivered his Budget speech in the House of Commons. John Healey announced a range of measures to tackle the cost of living but the market will keep a close eye on his tax and spending plans as the government looks to balance the books. Healey has [...]
Jobs apocalypse: Britain’s biggest firms cut more than 130,000 roles in two years October 28, 2026 Britain’s biggest businesses have axed more than 130,000 jobs over the past two years, a City AM analysis has found, laying bare the scale of pressure facing firms amid surging employment costs and the growing tide of automation. The analysis compiled more than 250 separate media reports of layoffs, job cuts and company administrations at [...]
