Revive VAT-free shopping to boost high streets, Selfridges urges Burnham September 29, 2026 Selfridges has called on Andy Burnham to reinstate VAT-free shopping for international tourists as part of his push to revive British high streets and boost regional growth. The luxury department store chain hit out at then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision to abolish VAT-free shopping in 2021, adding that it is “encouraged” to see the policy back [...]
Burnham to announce new publicly-owned grid operator September 29, 2026 Andy Burnham is expected to announce a new publicly-owned body which will invest in the UK’s electricity grid in an attempt to bring down Britain’s sky-high energy costs. The Prime Minister is tipped to unveil Great British Grid, which will speed up connections to the grid by driving up competition for projects, during his Labour [...]
London’s best pub crawl through our Toast the City finalists September 29, 2026 As we prepare to reveal the City’s best boozer at our Toast the City awards, we sent wine writer Libby Brodie on a pub crawl through some of the contenders Nowhere in the world does pubs like the City of London. We have absolutely nailed it. We do firesides, board games, slowly poured pints, waxy [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 and bonds jitter; Burnham says Britain must be ‘honest’ about public finances September 29, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Stick with us throughout the day for the latest London Stock Exchange and wider business and economic news, as soon as we get it. Here’s a look at some of our top headlines: The liveblog has ended.No liveblog updates yet. Load more
Andy Burnham can’t treat Heathrow expansion as a local planning issue September 29, 2026 Has Andy Burnham’s commitment to devolution morphed into a convenient excuse not to lead? I ask, because he seems to have excused himself from the debate about a critical £50bn national infrastructure project: Heathrow’s third runway. The project has been debated since the 1980s but officially kicked off in 2003 when Labour’s Alistair Darling, then [...]
Eat, drink, sleep, repeat: London restaurant hits and misses from Martin Williams September 29, 2026 Explore Martin Williams’ verdict on Café Clement, Eve Bar and Fenix, from slick openings to Mayfair missteps, and plan your next London booking.
Labour will learn to love deregulation September 29, 2026 The Labour government I served in made advances in planning reform and curbing regulator overreach. But those efforts should be seen as a first step, not job done. Not least because there is barely a great progressive cause that does not now require deregulation to advance, says Alan Lockey Warm words for business are a [...]
Heathrow’s billionaire bidder: I’ll put every penny I have on more third runway delays September 29, 2026 The billionaire hotel tycoon behind a rival bid to develop Heathrow’s third runway has said there is “no way” the proposal put forward by the airport’s owner can be delivered on time, even after the megaproject was delayed by four years. Surinder Arora, whose eponymous property group is spearheading the ‘Heathrow West’ bid to build [...]
XPeng G6: Five Things I Like About It September 28, 2026 As London’s key decision-makers handle the transition to net-zero, the capital’s fleet managers and executive drivers are navigating the journey to zero-emissions motoring, writes Tim Barnes-Clay. Even though electric vehicles (EVs) haven’t been around for long, the market already feels overwhelmingly crowded. That’s especially true after the recent avalanche of Chinese brands entering the UK, [...]
Tower Suites by Blue Orchid Hospitality Announces Expansion September 28, 2026 Tower Suites by Blue Orchid Hospitality is set to expand its award-winning London offering with the addition of 100 new guest suites and studios, an event suite and a new Pan-Asian restaurant, further strengthening its leading position within London’s world-class hospitality scene. The expansion marks an exciting next chapter for Tower Suites, adding greater choice [...]