UK set to suffer £35bn hit from Iran war as growth downgraded again April 29, 2026 The UK risks finding itself on the brink of recession as a result of the Iran war, a leading economics think tank has warned, as the potential damage to Rachel Reeves’ fiscal headroom and the threat of interest rates hikes has been laid bare in a new report. In what will come as dire reading [...]
Londoners wait far longer to sell homes as stamp duty weighs on confidence April 29, 2026 The wait for a London house sale is six days longer now than last year, as the capital sees the “greatest impact” from stamp duty and the Iran war’s hit to property confidence. The average time it takes for a house in the capital to be snapped up once it is listed on the market [...]
Housing stocks drag on FTSE as inflation woes build into Bank of England interest rates call April 28, 2026 Fears about the impact of interest rates on the UK’s struggling economy echoed around the City into this week’s set-piece interest rate meeting at the Bank of England. A trio of Tuesday trading updates from London-listed firms with direct exposure to the housing market revealed rising costs. The insight reverberated across an industry which depends on affordable mortgages [...]
Chaos: Now Downing Street rules out rent freeze after backlash over ‘reckless’ rumours April 28, 2026 Downing Street has ruled out a rent freeze just hours after the Chancellor refused to distance herself from the policy while speaking in the Commons. The apparent kite flying sparked 24 hours of panic among residential landlords and economists, who dubbed the rumoured policy a would-be “disaster”. Reeves had reportedly been considering the policy to [...]
Global equity markets are dangerously overconfident April 28, 2026 Global equity markets show a dangerous disconnect by continuing to rally – fueled by an overconfidence in policy backstops – despite the severe and persistent supply-side risks caused by the ongoing energy shock from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, says Helen Thomas There is a growing disconnect between the resilience of global equity [...]
Natwest forced to pause AGM after climate protest April 28, 2026 Natwest was forced to pause its annual general meeting on Tuesday following a disruption from climate protesters. The FTSE 100 giant’s chairman Rick Haythornthwaite adjourned the meeting – taking place at Natwest’s Gogarburn headquarters in Scotland – after protesters disrupted his address to shareholders. Campaigners had been calling for a protest vote against Haythornthwaite in [...]
‘Stuff of nightmares’: Hold interest rates, City AM Shadow MPC says April 28, 2026 Interest rates should be left unchanged in April but the future path of monetary policy could be unclear, City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee has suggested. A group of City economists and academics has called for interest rates to be left at 3.75 per cent on Thursday, citing the risk of higher inflation due to [...]
Barclays takes shot at tax speculation as UK growth forecast cut April 28, 2026 Barclays has taken a shot at the wave of tax speculation surrounding the industry as the bank trimmed its growth output for the year ahead. Fears the banking sector might be targeted for a cash grab have gathered pace following the war in Iran, amid concerns over mounting cost pressures. The Middle East conflict is [...]
Jenrick to re-write ‘Britannia Card’ plan for wealthy investors April 27, 2026 Reform UK are set to revise the terms of its ‘Britannia Card’ proposal, which was drafted as the party’s bid to lure wealthy foreign investors to the UK, Robert Jenrick has revealed. Jenrick, who is Reform’s Treasury spokesman, hinted that party officials were working on a proposal that was “even better” than a policy announced [...]
Bank of England dissenters expected to back interest rate hikes April 27, 2026 Economists have suggested that at least two members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) could vote for interest rates to be hiked later this week. Analysts at JP Morgan, BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs have predicted that hawkish policymakers will push back against leaving interest rates unchanged. The Bank’s chief economist Huw [...]