FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery as Trump eyes Iran ‘grand bargain’; Reeves to meet Bessent April 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Hopes of peace talks in the Middle East were back on the table this morning, though markets weren’t holding there breathe after weeks of bait-and-switches. Donald Trump described the war with Iran as “close to over” during an interview with Fox news. “I think it’s [...]
Aldi snaps up abandoned London psychiatric hospital to turn it into supermarket April 15, 2026 Aldi has snapped up an abandoned London psychiatric hospital, City AM can reveal, in the latest sign discount supermarkets are getting increasingly creative in their search to acquire land to expand their UK footprint. The German grocer, which has over 1,000 stores in the UK but hopes to increase this by as many as 500, [...]
New EU entry system hits Brits — But what are your rights? April 14, 2026 Days into the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), British passengers are facing severe delays, resulting in missed flights, but with the Summer season around the corner, warnings that trying to pass the border may become more costly. The new EES obliges non-European Union nationals, including Britons, who enter the Schengen free travel zone to [...]
IMF slaps UK with biggest growth downgrade of any G7 country April 14, 2026 The UK economy has suffered the biggest growth forecast downgrade of any country in the G7 in the International Monetary Fund’s spring economic outlook report, dealing a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she struggles to overcome setbacks sparked by the Iran war. Growth this year was revised down by 0.5 percentage points as trade [...]
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Names Jessica Kirby Country Manager, UK, and Chris Nixon Head of Executive & Professional Lines, UK April 14, 2026 Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced the promotion of Jessica Kirby to Country Manager, UK, subject to regulatory approval. She succeeds Nick Major, who is retiring from the company and the London Market. “Jess has been instrumental in building our Executive & Professional Lines business and bringing the full value of BHSI’s tailored solutions, [...]
From Jaffa Cakes to National Insurance: How to fix Britain’s mad tax system – according to the experts April 14, 2026 In its latest report, the OECD scolded the UK for its illogical and growth-impeding tax system. Ali Lyon speaks to five tax experts to work out how to fix it. Potato crisps and their corn chip cousins are – as indulgent savoury snacks go – undeniably similar. They taste alike and are a similar size. [...]
Wall Street bankers’ bonuses leapfrog City in ‘less impressive’ year April 14, 2026 Wall Street bankers have leapfrogged ahead of the City as the industry’s swelling bonus pot proved “far less impressive” than prior expectations. In the US, the average bonus scored was $154,344 (£114,00) in 2025, marking a 5.85 per cent uplift from the year prior. This also topped the industry average growth of 4.4 per cent. [...]
High street spending gets ‘much-needed boost’ but cost alert sent to shoppers April 14, 2026 High street spending in March remained robust though travel companies suffered from holidaymakers’ fears about organising a trip to the Middle East, research has suggested. Retail surveys have suggested that high street shops were boosted by shoppers’ Easter hunt for food, computers and toys last month. Research by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggested that [...]
Starmer fears ‘untold damage’ to UK economy from Iran war April 13, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the impacts of the Iran war will be “significant” as he insisted the government’s central position was to stay out of the conflict. Starmer told MPs on Monday that the main war in Iran, which lasted over a month before a ceasefire was announced last week, had already harmed [...]
Retiring abroad could lose Brits over £70,000 with state pension at risk April 13, 2026 British pensioners eyeing a retirement in the sun could see thousands wiped off their state pension, top financial planners have warned. Brits planning to retire overseas during this tax year could forgo more than £77,000 in state pension income over the next 20 years, if they opt to move to a country where payments are [...]