Petrol retailers vindicated after Reeves ‘profiteering’ claims May 1, 2026 Petrol retailers have been vindicated of “price gouging”, pouring cold water on the government’s accusations of profiteering from the war in Iran. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that higher fuel prices in the UK were caused by the rising cost of oil, rather than by retailers expanding their margins to profit from the [...]
My Alps adventure holiday with endless high-octane thrills May 1, 2026 Simon Miller on an Alps adventure holiday stuffed with high-octane adventuring I’m never going to argue that a good book and a sun lounger isn’t a winning summer holiday formula, but go on enough of those trips and the novelty starts to wane. Seen one swim up bar, you’ve seen them all. I wanted to [...]
Claire’s Accessories to launch UK high street comeback May 1, 2026 Collapsed jewellery chain Claire’s Accessories will return to British high streets next month after its stores were shuttered only days ago, according to reports. The budget accessories retailer is set to launch 50 new stores on UK high streets, in a comeback staged by the owner of its European stores. Claire’s shut its remaining stores [...]
MJ Gleeson warns building cost inflation prompting ‘high caution’ May 1, 2026 Housebuilder MJ Gleeson has sounded the alarm over building cost inflation, prompting “higher than usual caution” over its finances. The London-listed firm said on Friday: “We have recently seen some softening in footfall and reservations, and limited increases in the cost of some materials.” The effective blockade to the Strait of Hormuz caused by the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop amid US-Iran war mixed messaging; House prices up May 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are scrambling for some messaging this morning as tensions around the Iran war drag on. Donald Trump faced a deadline for today whether to formally end the war in Iran or make the case to the US Congress for extending it. But an official [...]
Delay fuel duty hike or risk stalling major transport projects, Labour warned May 1, 2026 The government risks stalling key road and rail infrastructure projects unless it extends the freeze to fuel duty, a leading construction industry body has warned. The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), which represents more than 2,000 firms providing construction machinery and expertise, told City AM “nothing will get built” if its members pull back from projects [...]
Winning Champions Cup players should get mega cash bonuses May 1, 2026 Sometimes I think Investec Champions Cup matches with something on the line could do with even more jeopardy. Bordeaux Begles, Bath Rugby, Leinster and RC Toulon will battle it out this weekend across the Atlantic and Aviva Stadiums. But what if there was a briefcase full of cash pitchside for the winners of each of [...]
Mandation was never the way to get pensions investing in venture capital May 1, 2026 The VC industry should welcome the watering down of the Pension Schemes Bill – self-regulation, not the blunt instrument of mandation, is the answer, says Duncan Johnson After four back-and-forths between the two parliamentary houses, the Pension Schemes Bill is set to gain Royal Assent after the Lords accepted a final draft on Tuesday. The [...]
On this day: Tony Blair’s New Labour landslide May 1, 2026 A new dawn broke on this day in 1997, ushering in an era of Cool Britannia, writes Eliot Wilson Do you remember where you were on Thursday 1 May 1997? It was 20°C in London that afternoon: Michael Jackson headed the singles chart for the seventh time with “Blood on the Dance Floor”, while the [...]
Social media ban could stifle Gen Z’s ambitions May 1, 2026 Everyone wants to protect young people online, but social media has quietly become one of the best learning platforms for business, says Charlie Terry Let’s be clear. Having protective restrictions in place for under-16s is a good idea. Much of what young people encounter online day to day would have been unthinkable on any mainstream [...]