Will Burnham take the pressure off business? Don’t bank on it July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham’s big ambitions come with a big price tag. Our analysis shows a £22bn black hole of unfunded commitments, including the costs of honouring decisions announced in the dying days of Keir Starmer’s government, such as NHS pay rises and the Defence Investment Plan. If you add in the new PM’s other great ideas, [...]
Business will be the judge on whether Andy Burnham can “regain stability” July 23, 2026 If Andy Burnham is serious about being a friend to business he should commit to no new business taxes, says Alan Vallance When every new government begins – and there have been a few in recent years – the goodwill they start with is already a diminishing return. Businesses understand that no Prime Minister can [...]
Mark Kleinman: Well runs dry for Thames Water creditors July 23, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column Well runs dry for Thames Water creditors Are Thames Water’s taps about to run dry? Not literally, of course – but Andy Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street has fired the starting gun on a creditor sprint to [...]
Milestone Alphabet century bond already under pressure July 23, 2026 Alphabet’s historic century bond has shed more than seven per cent of its value in just five months, amid a wider downturn in long-dated debt and increased scepticism on the earnings potential of the US’s so-called hyperscalers. The sterling-denominated 100-year bond, which the Google owner will not have to repay until 2126, has sold off [...]
Beyond the Tour de France: How Girona became a cyclist’s paradise July 23, 2026 Girona quietly welcomes the world’s best cyclists – and the Tour de France. Damien Gabet rides through Spain’s bucolic countryside D’you remember the Festina scandal in 1998? The whole cycling team was caught bang to rights for doping. And because parts of it fell under French criminal law, les flics got involved and the soigneur [...]
Nearly 1m people to pay higher tax ‘by stealth’ July 22, 2026 Nearly one million people are being dragged into higher tax bands as the government’s “stealth” freezes take effect, according to new analysis. Data crunched by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has shown that fiscal drag – where freezes on tax bands mean workers are forced to pay more into HMRC as wages grow – will impact 1m [...]
Easyjet shares crash on fears of EU probe July 22, 2026 Shares in Easyjet plummeted on Wednesday after reports the European Union was preparing a probe into the ownership of airlines, potentially complicating the carrier’s mooted takeover by Apollo. The London-listed budget airline said this month it was likely to accept an all-cash offer from the US investment behemoth, trumping an earlier bid from another US [...]
Morningstar Launches US Capital Allocation Leaders Index, Providing Exposure to Companies with Exemplary Capital Allocation Practices July 22, 2026 Global X to use Morningstar’s research-driven index in new Capital Allocation Leaders ETF
Oil prices return to crisis levels July 22, 2026 Oil prices have returned to levels not seen since the beginning of June, after both the US and Iran warned that hopes of a return to peace negotiations were premature. The spot price of Brent crude broke $95 a barrel on Wednesday morning for the first time since the warring parties agreed a 60-day ceasefire [...]
AI reduces founders’ need for capital, says Revolut Business July 22, 2026 AI is reducing the amount of capital startups need to build global businesses, shifting the battle for founders away from funding and towards which countries offer the best environment to scale, according to the head of Revolut Business. Speaking to City AM, James Gibson said AI had dramatically lowered the cost of building and operating [...]