‘Open the f**king strait’ – Trump issues brutal ultimatum to Iran April 5, 2026 Trump has ordered Iran once more to open the Strait of Hormuz in an expletive filled ultimatum, threatening Iranian bridges and power plants if Iran fails to meet US demands. Just hours after warning Iran that “all hell will reign down” if they fail to reopen the waterway by Monday, US President Donald Trump has [...]
Once again Starmer addresses the nation – with nothing to say April 2, 2026 The Prime Minister held a press conference yesterday to update us all on the Iran war and to confirm that we’re still not in it. That’s Keir Starmer’s most valued line these days; that this isn’t our war and we’re not involved. However, despite our declared neutrality, Starmer had to concede that “the impact of [...]
Supermarket bosses meet Rachel Reeves amid dire food inflation warning April 1, 2026 The bosses of some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets met Chancellor Rachel Reeves in emergency cost of living talks on Wednesday, amid warnings that food inflation could rise to double digits this year. Leading supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons attended Downing Street after efforts to gather industry bosses last week were abandoned amid concerns [...]
Bank of England: UK economy risks ‘large and overlapping’ shocks April 1, 2026 The Bank of England has issued a major warning that the financial system is facing increasing risks of “large, frequent and potentially overlapping shocks” amid the volatility from the Middle East war‘ and ongoing market risks’s impact on energy and global markets. In the latest meeting of the central bank’s Financial Policy Committee top officials [...]
Berkeley shares plummet as it ‘pulls up drawbridge’ and stops buying land April 1, 2026 Shares in leading housebuilder Berkeley plummeted on Wednesday after it paused housebuilding to protect its balance sheet against an “unprecedented increase in cost and regulation”. The firm’s share price fell by more than 17 per cent shortly after markets opened, to a decade low, leaving the stock down 28 per cent this year at 2,832p. [...]
Rolls-Royce shares rocket to recovery as FTSE 100 takes off April 1, 2026 Shares in City heavyweight Rolls-Royce helped lead London’s blue-chip index higher this morning as markets were buoyed by hopes of peacetalks in the Middle East. Rolls-Royce stock soared as much as seven per cent on open to 1,215.00p. It followed comments from Donald Trump that the US would “leave” Iran in “two to three weeks”. [...]
Two-thirds of hospitality firms to cut jobs as April tax rises ‘suffocate’ sector April 1, 2026 Two-thirds of hospitality businesses will be forced to cut jobs and one in seven will shut altogether as a direct result of “suffocating” April tax rises, leading trade bodies have found. More than half (51 per cent) of hospitality firms will cancel investment plans and 42 per cent will reduce trading hours, according to a [...]
‘Unprecedented’ – Food inflation to soar to 9 per cent by end of year April 1, 2026 Food inflation will soar from three to nine per cent by the end of this year due to the “unprecedented” energy and supply chain shocks caused by the Iran war, a leading association has warned. The rate of food price growth is currently at 3.3 per cent but will climb to nine per cent by [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks boom as Trump signals end to Iran war; Starmer eyes closer ties to EU April 1, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the CityAM liveblog. President Trump has made his clearest indication yet that the war in Iran might soon come to a close, saying the US will “leave” Iran in “two to three weeks” when they are certain the regime will not be able to build a nuclear weapon [...]
Unilever freezes hiring as Iran war poses ‘significant challenges’ March 31, 2026 FTSE 100 giant Unilever has placed a global freeze on hiring for at least three months as the Iran war wreaks havoc on global supply chains and fuel prices. The London-based business, which owns Dove soap and Hellman’s mayonnaise, told staff the ban on hiring will affect “all levels” of recruitment and was taken in [...]