Starmer ally defends minimum wage quango after Sunak calls for it to be axed Economics Welfare secretary Pat McFadden has leapt to the defence of the minimum wage quango after former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for the body to be axed. The top ally of Sir Keir Starmer told CityAM it “would be a mistake” to abolish the Low Pay Commission (LPC), an independent body that advises the [...]
JP Morgan chief threatens to pull £3bn investment if Labour becomes ‘hostile to banks’ Banking The chief executive of JP Morgan has threatened to pull a major investment from the UK if Labour government policy turns “hostile to banks”. Jamie Dimon – the influential American banker – revealed plans for a £3bn square feet tower in Canary Wharf last year, which is projected to inject as much as £10bn over [...]
UK borrowing costs storm past five per cent after Starmer warns of ‘chaos’ if ousted Politics UK government borrowing costs have stormed higher following an attempt from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to shore up support after a disastrous local election result. The yield on 10-year gilts rose nearly 10 basis points to over five per cent for the second time in mere weeks. It comes after Starmer sought to defy [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Bexley? May 6, 2026 What has traditionally been a back and forth between Conservatives and Labour, for the forthcoming local elections Bexley is being viewed as Reform’s top shot at cracking London. In 2022, Bexley had a 5.2 per cent swing from Conservative to Labour but the Tories still managed to hold onto 33 seats, while Labour gained just [...]
London local elections 2026: Who will win in Barking and Dagenham? May 6, 2026 Labour will take the fight to Reform in its defence of Barking and Dagenham as it looks to continue its long-running hold on the borough. In 2022 Barking and Dagenham was painted a unanimous red. All 51 seats in the 232,747 strong borough went to Labour in a clean sweep, though turnout was 24.5 per [...]
Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs May 5, 2026 The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
‘No need to take action’ on fuel duty, says Labour minister March 29, 2026 A Labour cabinet minister has pushed back against rallying calls for the government to hand petrol retailers some reprieve, stating there is “no need” to axe the planned hike in fuel duty. Education secretary Bridget Bridget Phillipson said on Sunday the government would “take a view closer to the time” on whether to press ahead [...]
Ed Miliband rejects ‘totally false’ calls to drill North Sea March 15, 2026 Ed Miliband has dismissed calls for the UK to exploit the North Sea’s oil supply, despite widespread calls to drill the area as fears of an energy shock rise amidst the war in the Middle East. The energy secretary said: “Some people want to go around and pretend that if we only we draw more [...]
‘Taxed to a standstill’ – UK economy grinds to a halt with no growth in January March 13, 2026 The UK economy saw zero growth in the first month of the year – before global markets were rocked by the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have handed a major blow to Rachel Reeves with the economy flat in January, compared to the 0.2 [...]
Private sector axes more jobs amid Reeves’ tax and wage pressures February 20, 2026 The UK’s private sectors culled jobs for the seventeenth consecutive month in February led by a significant drop in the services sector as businesses were still digesting the impact of Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget. The latest flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global described the rate of job shedding in February as at a [...]