House prices will fall by two per cent this year – the most since the financial crisis June 1, 2026 House prices will fall by two per cent for the first time since the financial crisis this year, according to Savills, which warned mortgage hikes as a result of the Iran war had “fundamentally changed the outlook for the housing market”. The property giant was forced to revise down its property price forecast for 2026 [...]
I’m 50 – but I feel young dining at Simpson’s in the Strand May 29, 2026 Happy birthday to our top columnist – 50 years young and still eating out every night, especially at Simpson’s in Strand where he feels half his age As I turned 50 this weekend, with a solid celebration at Quaglino’s, a friendly journalist advised me that when it comes to writing, less is more. Or in [...]
Bank of England’s Bailey: Interest rates hike may not be needed May 29, 2026 The Bank of England may not raise interest rates in response to the Iran war and has already effectively tightened monetary policy by taking the prospect of future rate cuts off the table, governor Andrew Bailey has said. In a speech in Iceland, the central banking chief said that inflation is “likely to go higher” [...]
Reeves’ savings package to have minimal impact on inflation rise May 29, 2026 A discount campaign launched by Chancellor Rachel Reeves will “shave off” an expected rise in inflation, analysis has suggested, as economists have raised concern over Britons’ inflation expectations. Reeves’ move to delay a hike in fuel duty beyond September and offer VAT relief for businesses giving families reduced prices could strip 0.2 percentage points off [...]
Natwest and Barclays sweeten mortgage costs as Iran peace hopes ease interest rate fears May 29, 2026 Natwest and Barclays have become the latest lenders to sweeten up their mortgage deals, as hopes remain high that a peace deal will be reached in the Middle East that would bring calm to the interest rate environment. Both lenders have unveiled reductions in mortgage rates, with Barclays cutting its rates across the board by [...]
Reeves’ summer of fun won’t deliver growth May 29, 2026 Instead of attempting to stimulate demand, Reeves should focus on helping hospitality from the supply-side, writes Matthew Bowles.
KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Oban Cards 2026-1 PLC May 28, 2026 KBRA UK (KBRA) assigns preliminary ratings to five classes of notes to be issued under the Oban master trust structure, a UK credit card ABS programme backed by receivables originated and serviced by Vanquis Bank Limited (Vanquis Bank, the Company or the Servicer). The issuance relates to Series 2026-1 (the Series), which will be issued [...]
Expect investor activity in Premier League this summer, say Raine Group May 28, 2026 Raine Group, the bank behind the sale of Chelsea and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority purchase of Manchester United, has said to expect heightened activity this summer as Premier League clubs move to sell stakes and raise capital. The respected US merchant bank, which has recently advised on NBA Europe and franchise sales in the Hundred [...]
The invisible workforce – why AI agents need new identity rules May 27, 2026 As organisations across the UK deploy AI agents and autonomous workflows, they’reintroducing a new class of digital actor into the enterprise – one that doesn’t authenticate like aperson and doesn’t follow the rules we’ve built for human users. The scale of this shift hasalready triggered structural warnings at the highest levels, with the Bank of [...]
‘It’s important we increase spending’: Treasury minister defends triple lock pension May 27, 2026 A Treasury minister has defended the triple lock pension as a sustainable policy despite former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair attacking the benefit for being unaffordable. Dan Tomlinson said it was “important we have the triple lock and that we increase spending on pensioners”, doubling down on the controversial manifesto commitment that has been criticised [...]