Heathrow and housing: Griffith pledges ‘most ambitious deregulation project’ in generation October 4, 2026 The Conservatives’ pick for chancellor has pledged to roll out the “most ambitious deregulation project in a generation” as he is set to say plans could cut £50,000 off the price of a new home. Andrew Griffith, the shadow chancellor, will say on Monday he will slash red tape for businesses across construction, supermarkets and [...]
Badenoch says triple lock pension is ‘right policy’ as new Tory blueprint announced October 4, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has defended the triple lock pension as the “right policy” ahead of the Conservatives’ party conference this weekend. Badenoch said the triple lock, which is widely condemned as “unsustainable” across the political spectrum, ensured pensioners who had “contributed” were properly rewarded. The triple lock pension ensures that the state pension rises by whichever [...]
G7 agrees to release diesel reserves after crisis meeting October 2, 2026 Leaders from the G7 have agreed to tap into 100m of diesel and oil from their reserves in a bid to stave off a soaring supply crisis and end an escalating feud between the Euope and the US. The club of wealthy democracies said on Friday that they would work with the International Energy Agency [...]
Price pressures hit firms amid uncertain outlook and fears of interest rate hikes October 2, 2026 Firms’ inflation expectations for the next 12 months rose higher, according to closely watched Bank of England survey, the results of which could pile pressure on policymakers to raise interest rates. The Bank’s monthly survey of firms’ price expectations, the Decision Makers’ Panel, showed price expectations becoming more jittery as costs from the energy price [...]
Awash With Whisk(e)y October 2, 2026 Faltering demand, especially in the USA, has promoted concerns about oversupply and the prospect of another whisk(e)y loch. A number of Scotch distillers are slowing down production, but for Tom Bruce-Gardyne it feels like a bigger issue across the pond … “Every drop of liquid we distil, every barrel we choose to fill, every palate [...]
Blue on blue: Tory infighting erupts over triple lock pension petition October 1, 2026 Infighting across Tory circles has broken out after the party published a petition claiming Labour had pledged to “cut” the state pension following its triple lock reforms. At this week’s party conference, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced he would reform the triple lock pension if Labour remained in power after the next election. The state [...]
FTSE 100 suffers worst single-day sell-off since May as banks brace for tax raid October 1, 2026 The FTSE 100 has suffered its biggest single-day drop since May as European markets are hit by a continent-wide rout in the bond markets, which has pushed western government borrowing costs to multi-decade highs. London’s blue-chip index dropped by two per cent in early trading, erasing all its gains from the third quarter in a [...]
Burnham’s ‘costly’ policy agenda sparks investor nerves October 1, 2026 Andy Burnham’s “costly” policy agenda and the resurgent threat of inflation are weighing on investors’ appetite for the UK, according to a closely-watched survey of top money managers, which also revealed waning hopes of a rebound in London’s IPO market this year. Berenberg’s Investor Barometer, which polled 300 international investors managing a combined $1 trillion, [...]
James Cleverly: I will fight Labour’s anti-London ‘mansion tax’ October 1, 2026 London will be hit the hardest if Andy Burnham lowers the threshold for the ‘mansion tax’ to £1.5m – which only gets you a flat or an ordinary terraced house in many parts of the capital, says James Cleverly Andy Burnham’s Family Homes Tax is yet another attack on London. Last year, Rachel Reeves announced [...]
UK house prices fall at fastest rate since May as mortgage rates weigh on demand October 1, 2026 UK house prices fell at their fastest pace since May as expensive mortgages and uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget fuelled caution among buyers. Prices fell 0.2 per cent during September, faster than economists had expected and reversing August’s 0.2 per cent increase, according to data from Nationwide. The average UK home was valued at [...]