Former Bank of England rate-setter to become next OBR chair June 23, 2026 A former rate-setter at the Bank of England and member of City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee is set to become the chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog which has come under pressure from MPs and inadvertently leaked last year’s Budget. Jonathan Haskel, professor of economics at Imperial College London, will [...]
Global tech stocks plunge as SpaceX comes back down to earth June 23, 2026 Global tech stocks have been rocked by a widespread sell-off today after investors dumped shares in SpaceX and triggered a rout across markets. Asian markets sank overnight, with South Korea’s Kospi falling 8.3 per cent leading to the stock exchange forcing a trading-halt as investors dashed to sell-off their chip exposure. Much of this stemmed [...]
The next Prime Minister can change the conversation on the fiscal rules June 23, 2026 Since the defenestration of Liz Truss, the OBR has become an obsession in British politics. It need not be this way. Independent fiscal institutions are supposed to inform politics, not rule it. Other countries use them as sources of transparency, not as judge, jury and executioner, says Helen Thomas The next Prime Minister and Chancellor [...]
Burnham to lay out economic plan, but markets fear Miliband as Chancellor June 23, 2026 With more than three weeks to go before he can formally clinch the keys to 10 Downing Street, leadership challenger Andy Burnham is planning to make a major speech on the economy next week. It’s part of an effort to reassure the bond markets – to which he once said we shouldn’t be “in hock” [...]
Burnham might lift Labour’s mood but he won’t save the country June 23, 2026 It was a little under two years ago that Keir Starmer stood outside 10 Downing Street and declared that his new government would “end the era of noisy performance [and] tread a little more lightly on your lives.” It was a bold ambition and, after a shambolic end to Tory rule, a welcome one. Was [...]
UK risks becoming ‘dumping ground’ for Temu and Shein, retailers warn June 23, 2026 The UK risks becoming a “dumping ground” for online fast-fashion giants like Shein and Temu once a European crackdown on those firms comes into effect, leading retailers have warned. High street firms including Primark and Accessorize told City AM they risk facing tougher rivalry from foreign fast-fashion sellers if the UK does not clamp down [...]
Five graphs that reveal Burnham’s fiscal headache June 23, 2026 Andy Burnham was not shy with his spending pledges in the run up to victory in Makerfield last week. At various points, the former Manchester Mayor has pledged his party will nationalise water companies, including Thames Water; “stick with” the Waspi women, signalling a potential multi-billion pound payout to aggrieved pensioners; slash rail fares; kick [...]
What today’s central bankers can learn from the late Alan Greenspan June 22, 2026 Former chair of the Fed Alan Greenspan has died today, leaving a great legacy and many lessons for policy makers today, says Ben Ramanauskas Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve for nearly two decades, died yesterday at the age of 100. While his passing will receive little media coverage due to the resignation of [...]
Speed or stability? Bond markets strap in for Andy Burnham coronation June 22, 2026 City bond traders are strapping in for a “jumpy” ride as Andy Burnham looks set to cruise into Downing Street uncontested – even if a coronation helps head off the worst volatility, analysts have said. The former Manchester Mayor’s bid for the top job won a major boost today as former health secretary Wes Streeting [...]
Nigel Farage calls for General Election after Starmer replacement June 22, 2026 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for a general election after Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation today. In a Substack essay, Farage hit out at Andy Burnham – the likely successor to Starmer – and said that the UK could not “afford to waste another week drifting from crisis to crisis”. “To men [...]