‘Lost for words’ – Treasury sparks uproar with push to cap supermarket food prices May 19, 2026 The Treasury is putting pressure on supermarkets to cap prices on staple groceries as a quid pro quo for axing taxes and red tape amid fears the Iran war is set to unleash a painful bout of food inflation. According to leaked negotiations between major retailers and the government, the Chancellor’s officials have been pushing [...]
Rejecting affordable homes means Peckham will get no homes May 19, 2026 Southwark council has rejected the redevelopment of the low-rise Aylesham shopping centre on the basis that it did not include enough affordable homes. This completely misses the point, says Jeremy Driver London has England’s most acute housing shortage: the average rent for a one-bedroom flat is now around £1,500 a month, and the average home [...]
City analysts brand SNP food price cap ‘hair brained’ May 19, 2026 Top city analysts have slammed the SNP’s pledge to cap food prices as “hair brained,” as the party’s leader refuses to walk back from the policy. City broker Shore Capital said the SNP’s proposals to cap the prices of some foods would risk diminishing choice, hampering investment in Scotland’s food industry and could even threaten [...]
‘Obscene’ – HS2 on track to cost at least £102bn as minister slams ‘gold-plated folly’ May 19, 2026 HS2 is now poised to cost the taxpayer as much as £102bn and will not run from Euston until at least 2040, according to the transport secretary who blasted the project as a “massively over-specced folly”. Heidi Alexander said the cost of the ill-fated train line was now on course to nearly double from the [...]
Black Sheep Coffee founder: ‘The Square Mile is a magical place’ May 19, 2026 Black Sheep Coffee was founded in the Square Mile but has now expanded across the world. Its co-founder tells Felix Armstrong about his roots in the City Gabriel Shohet is a company man. The Black Sheep Coffee founder enters the meeting room at the coffee chain’s Southwark offices clad in a branded hoodie, with a [...]
Natixis Investment Managers’ Funds Honored at the 2026 LSEG Lipper Fund Awards Worldwide May 19, 2026 Natixis Investment Managers (Natixis IM) today announced that several of its affiliate asset management companies, including DNCA Investments, Dorval Asset Management, Mirova*, Ostrum Asset Management, Vega Investment Solutions, and WCM Investment Management, have been recognized at the 2026 LSEG Lipper Fund Awards. These distinctions, awarded in the US, Europe, and Asia, reward funds that have [...]
Magners owner hits out at Reeves as hospitality crisis hits sales May 19, 2026 The maker of Magners and Bulmers cider missed its profit and revenue targets this year, blaming Rachel Reeves’ Budget and the “financial stress” it caused pubs and bars. C&C Group, which also owns the Orchard Pig and Jubel brands, said it is seeing resilient demand for cider and beer but plummeting sales of high-alcohol drinks [...]
Unemployment back up as UK job vacancies fall May 19, 2026 Unemployment crept back up despite a fall in last month’s data as it was shown that the UK jobs market weakened in the last quarter. The Office for National Statistics said the UK unemployment rate was five per cent in the three months to March 2026. The unemployment rate had dropped to 4.9 per cent [...]
Sign of the Dimes: Harry Styles Wembley run to drive £1bn spending frenzy May 19, 2026 Harry Styles’ 12-night Wembley residency is set to rake in more than £1bn in spending in the capital, smashing previous records set by Taylor Swift concertgoers. The Mancunian popstar is expected to attract £88.3m in spending per night, far higher than the £66.5m recorded during Taylor Swift’s UK Eras Tour dates in 2024, according to [...]
Inflation, not Andy Burnham, is the culprit behind high Gilt yields May 19, 2026 Gilt Yields have more to do with inflation than the future of the Labour Party, says Tomasz Wieladek The debate about the future of the Labour Party’s leadership has revived a familiar narrative: that high Gilt yields are the verdict of financial markets on prospective changes to the government’s fiscal plans. The implication is that [...]