Our favourite Square Mile rooftop bars – one for every vibe April 30, 2026 In this series, we round up the best sky-high drinking spots across London. The first of the area focuses on the London rooftop bar options in the Square Mile. Madison, Coq d’Argent and Sushisamba are old favourites, but how do they fare against newer openings like Aviary, Sabine and PocketSquare? And which one should take [...]
Labour hands police ‘long-overdue’ violent shoplifting powers April 29, 2026 The government has handed the police a set of “long overdue” powers to crack down on soaring levels of violent shoplifting, which has been branded a “national scandal”. The crime and policing bill was granted royal assent on Wednesday, meaning assault against retail workers is classed as a specific offence, and the effective immunity for [...]
Badenoch claims Reeves will be ousted as traders warn on Labour’s turn to left April 29, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has predicted that Rachel Reeves will be sacked as Chancellor after the local elections in May, as top bankers warn of the impact of any left-turn by the government. Badenoch asked Sir Keir Starmer whether he would “reshuffle the Chancellor” after the May elections, with the Prime Minister not directly commenting [...]
Haleon takes hit from ‘weak cold and flu season’ but Sensodyne shines April 29, 2026 After being spun out from GSK in the biggest London IPO in decades, City analyst are looking for more from the emblematic FTSE 100 consumer healthcare powerhouse with roots in a Lombard Street apothecary shop Fewer sniffles during the winter have sent a chill through sales volumes at Haleon, the FTSE 100 over-the-counter remedy maker. [...]
Starmer blocks sleaze inquiry despite Tory and Labour pressure April 28, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has won a vote to block a parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled MPs over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite significant pressure from opposition parties and some Labour MPs. Labour backbenchers voted down a Tory motion to launch a so-called “sleaze inquiry” by the Privileges Committee [...]
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 [...]
Reeves rent freeze: How did Chancellor turn to a Mamdani-style policy controversy? April 28, 2026 Reports of plans in Downing Street for a rent freeze came as a shock after a housing minister said Labour opposes the policy. Felix Armstrong explores why rent controls stoke so much controversy, from New York to Sweden. Rumours that Rachel Reeves is considering slapping a freeze on private rents shocked the property market on [...]
‘Knife through my soul’: McSweeney, Starmer and Whitehall war over Mandelson saga April 28, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who pushed for Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, has said that further revelations over the disgraced peer’s links to Jeffrey Epstein were a “knife through my soul”. In a blockbuster appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee, McSweeney apologised for urging the Prime Minister to appoint [...]
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 [...]