‘Dismal’: Blow to Healey as government borrowing overshoots by billions September 22, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has missed key targets on government borrowing ahead of his inaugural Budget after the UK borrowed more than economists forecast in August. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing in August was £18.3bn, which was about £3.5bn above a prediction by the Office for Budget Responsibility and overshot market predictions. The [...]
Business rates cut will ‘backfire’ for Soho and West End September 22, 2026 John Healey’s plans to deliver an emergency tax cut for high street businesses would fail to boost most firms in London’s busiest areas like Soho and the West End, analysis suggests. The Chancellor is reportedly planning to cut taxes for pubs, shops, cafes and restaurants by hiking the threshold for small business rates relief (SBBR). [...]
Burnham to meet Trump amid Iran war’s inflation spike September 21, 2026 Andy Burnham is set to meet President Donald Trump face-to-face for the first time against the backdrop of the Iran war pushing inflation up to above four per cent within months. On his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham will meet Trump and several other world leaders. Burnham’s meeting with [...]
Energy costs and rate hikes to weigh on growth September 21, 2026 The UK economy is forecast to grow in 2026, but rising energy bills and higher borrowing costs will weigh on activity in the second half of the year. The economy is set to grow 1.3 per cent this year, according to KPMG’s latest economic outlook, after household spending was “supported by warmer weather” while businesses [...]
Tories consult senior barrister over ‘outrageous’ Wandsworth tax hike September 18, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservative party has consulted a senior barrister to challenge the government over local funding cuts, following the recent controversy over looming tax hikes at Wandsworth Council. Wandsworth Council, which is Tory-run, has recently announced that taxes will rise by 94 per cent for ‘band D’ residents, resulting in taxpayers having [...]
Mark my words: tax rises are coming September 18, 2026 After Rachel Reeves’ tax raids of over £40bn in her 2024 Budget and £26bn in the 2025 edition, it should be inconceivable that John Healey will come back for more. Yet all the sights point in that direction, says Emma Revell No City AM reader could be unaware that Britain’s current economic outlook is not [...]
Ignorance is no excuse for Labour’s economic failures September 18, 2026 John Healey is copying Rachel Reeves’ technique of gaslighting the nation into thinking he had no idea what the bind markets and OBR have been screaming at every fiscal event, says Tom Harwood It feels like “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher should have been irritatingly on repeat every morning this week. Why? [...]
On This Day: Scotland says “nae thanks” to independence September 18, 2026 On 18th September 2014, Scotland voted against 55 per cent to 45 per cent against independence in a referendum that was supposed to settle the question for a generation, writes Eliot Wilson It is firmly within my lifetime that the idea of Scottish independence was a harmlessly quirky cause on the fringes of politics. After [...]
As it happened: Stocks slip as London’s rally loses momentum September 18, 2026 Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. Stocks in London fell this morning as a three-day rally faded and erased much of the gains made following the Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates yesterday. The FTSE 100 was trading down nearly one per cent at 12:50pm, dragged lower by falls for Shell [...]
First Trust Global Portfolios Management Limited Announces Distributions for certain sub-funds of First Trust Global Funds ICAV September 17, 2026 First Trust Global Portfolios Management Limited (“FTGPM”) announces the declaration of the distributions for the following sub-funds of First Trust Global Funds ICAV (the “ICAV”), ISIN Fund Name Frequency Dividend per Share IE00BWTNMB87 First Trust US Large Cap Core AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class B Quarterly 0.1983 (USD) IE00BWTNM966 First Trust Germany AlphaDEX® UCITS ETF Class [...]