As it happened: Stocks rise but oil tops $95; inflation eases July 22, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. It’s Wednesday and new Chancellor John Healey secured an early boost after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that inflation slowed in June. Headline CPI inflation dipped from 2.8 per cent in May to 2.6 per cent in June. Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the [...]
A pragmatic plan for Thames Water July 22, 2026 Public ownership of utilities is a long-held aspiration for Labour’s soft-left, but economic reality dictates it cannot be achieved without derailing the rest of Burnham’s prime ministerial agenda, says Mark Field Andy Burnham’s first priority as Prime Minister must be to stamp his authority over the role – something that’s proved impossible for his five [...]
The Debate: should Andy Burnham have made a woman his Chancellor? July 22, 2026 Rachel Reeves was proud to be Britain’s first female Chancellor but the Labour party have still never had a female leader. So should Burnham have put a woman in the finance brief? Two writers go head to head… Yes: economic leadership should reflect the economy it serves Labour doesn’t need a female Chancellor simply for [...]
Manchester was Burnham’s rehearsal – now get ready to pay the bill July 22, 2026 Burnham has asked to be judged on Manchester – where his record is more spending, more borrowing and higher taxes, says Gareth Davies Andy Burnham walks into Downing Street with a simple pitch: judge me on Manchester. I am happy to take him up on it. Start with tax. In 2018, Mr Burnham created a [...]
‘We are going to run out’: Mitie marks eleventh mega takeover of 2026 July 22, 2026 Mitie’s takeover by rival facilities management group OCS marks the London Stock Exchange’s eleventh £1bn takeover so far this year, as the market continues to serve as a hunting ground for private buyers. OCS agreed to pay 218.5p per share and a final dividend of up to 3.1p. The offer price comes at a 44.7 [...]
Can the City make friends with Healey? July 22, 2026 For the second time in history, the Labour party has recruited a former defence secretary by the name of Healey to become chancellor. The first, Denis Healey, ended up going cap-in-hand to the IMF for a bailout in 1976 after the UK endured rocketing inflation, soaring borrowing and surging unemployment. So the bar has been [...]
Tax rises ‘guaranteed’ as Healey faces £22bn black hole from Burnham spending plans July 22, 2026 Chancellor John Healey will be forced to launch another round of major tax rises in the autumn, leading economists have warned, after a City AM analysis found £22bn of spending pledges are not accounted for in official forecasts. Less than 24 hours after becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has already announced plans to end rough [...]
CI Financial Holdings Ltd. Prices Private Offering of U.S. Dollar Junior Subordinated Notes July 22, 2026 CI Financial Holdings Ltd. (“CI” or the “Company”) today announced that it has successfully priced its private offering (the “Offering”) of US$500 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.625% fixed-rate resettable junior subordinated notes due 2056 (the “Notes”). The Offering is expected to close on July 23, 2026, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. [...]
Footprint Expands Into PE-Free Cups, Bringing a Proven, Recyclable and Home-Compostable Alternative to Plastic-Lined Paper Cups Into Production July 21, 2026 Move strengthens Footprint’s European manufacturing platform and supports growing demand for practical alternatives to single-use plastic
‘Phenomenal waste of time’: Burnham slammed over plans to dismantle tech department July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham faced immediate questions over his decision to abolish the tech department on Tuesday, as peers warned the move risked disrupting Britain’s AI strategy. Ministers were hauled before the House of Lords less than a day after the machinery of government changes to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) were announced, where [...]