On this day: Britain’s first banking crisis June 8, 2026 On 8 June 1772 Alexander Fordyce, a partner at Neale, James, Fordyce and Down absconded to France to escape crippling debts caused by a sharp rise in shares in the East India Company, writes Eliot Wilson As 1772 opened, Alexander Fordyce seemed like a wealthy and successful man. He was 42 years old, a partner [...]
Pockit taps shareholders for £13.4m after losses quadruple June 8, 2026 Pockit has raised £13.4m from shareholders as it seeks to plug growing losses following its acquisition of London fintech Monese. The firm, which offers pre-paid cards to customers without the need for a credit check, said it completed the raise in May 2026 from venture capital investor Concentric as well as Shore Capital-owned investment firm [...]
Debenhams and Revolution unveil new beauty collaboration June 8, 2026 Fast-fashion retailer Debenhams has formalised a royalty-based licensing partnership with Revolution Beauty to develop and distribute beauty and fragrance products across Debenhams’ brand portfolio. The first collections are expected to launch ahead of Christmas, featuring fragrance and gifting lines for PrettyLittleThing, Karen Millen, and boohooMAN. While further beauty and fragrance launches are planned across a [...]
Tate & Lyle confirms £2.7bn takeover by US rival June 8, 2026 Tate & Lyle has accepted a £2.7bn takeover deal by a rival American food firm, in the latest flight of a historic brand from London’s stock market. The 123-year old business said Ingredion’s offer – which totals 615p per share – represents an “attractive opportunity for shareholders”. The deal comes after the company revealed another [...]
As it happened: Stocks and oil recover as Iran declares end to strikes; tech rally rocks markets June 8, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 edged into the green on Monday lunchtime and US futures pointed to gains, as the markets looked to claw back early jitters caused by fresh Middle East strikes and a tech stock sell-off. An exchange of fire from Iran and Israel left [...]
Deputy PM to unveil AI labs to drag legal sector out of ‘analogue’ age June 8, 2026 The UK government is launching a new AI growth project aimed squarely at dragging the UK’s billion-pound legal sector out of its “analogue” age. Ahead of London Tech Week, City AM can reveal that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy will unveil ‘AI growth labs’, a regulatory safe space designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape [...]
One in ten graduates to flee UK’s worst job market in 30 years June 7, 2026 One in ten students due to graduate university this summer do not plan on staying in the UK to find work, according to a new survey from graduate recruitment research firm High Fliers. The survey revealed that out of the 15,000 students surveyed from over 30 universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and the London School [...]
Upgrading the grid risks ending up like HS2 June 7, 2026 Upgrading the UK's electricity grid is a vastly complex project. I hope the government's learned from HS2, writes John Lazar.
Peter Kyle vows state will take bigger stakes in Britain’s next tech giants June 6, 2026 The government is preparing to take larger stakes in Britain’s fastest-growing companies as Peter Kyle ramps up Labour’s efforts to turn the state into a more active backer of private enterprise. Ahead of London Tech Week, the business secretary said ministers would become more willing to deploy taxpayer money alongside private investors, arguing that government [...]
Starmer urged to press ahead with under-16 social media ban as decision nears June 6, 2026 Keir Starmer has been urged to press ahead with a social media ban for under-16s after a group of leading doctors warned ministers not to mistake early attempts by children to bypass restrictions as evidence that such policies do not work. The intervention comes as the government prepares to decide whether Britain will introduce some [...]