Wealth managers shares fall amid Starmer political storm May 12, 2026 A host of the City’s top listed wealth managers suffered sharp sell-offs on Tuesday morning as questions over Starmer’s future caused government borrowing costs to soar. Investors have been on alert since fears of a rebellion against Starmer began after last week’s local election results, with the spike in gilt yields now triggering a sell [...]
Chaos may well be preferable to Keir Starmer’s unyielding blankness May 12, 2026 Keir Starmer's promise for change is as convincing as a bad boyfriend's. MPs may well decide they prefer chaos to this neverending blandness.
Star stockpicker Terry Smith dumps entire Unilever holding after McCormick mega-merger May 12, 2026 One of Britain’s best-known fund managers has dumped his holding in Unilever worth hundreds of millions of pounds, accusing the consumer goods giant of abandoning its traditional shareholders in favour of activist-driven deals like last month’s McCormick mega-deal. Terry Smith, the star stockpicker behind the £12.5bn Fundsmith Equity Fund, sold out of his position in [...]
Vodafone says UK merger is ‘ahead of plan’ as boss bets on mega multi-brand strategy May 12, 2026 Vodafone said it is “building momentum” as the telecoms behemoth pushes further into the British market following its £4.3bn VodafoneThree deal and signs of stabilisation in Germany. The FTSE 100 telecoms group reported better-than-expected annual revenue of €40.4bn (£35bn) for the year to March, up from €37.4bn last year. Meanwhile, pre-tax profit slipped slighty to [...]
Voters – and markets – fear a lurch to the left under new Labour PM May 12, 2026 A majority of voters are worried that a change of Labour leadership would drag the government further left, as support grows for lower taxes and less public spending. The latest City PM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters, conducted after the devastating council election results for Labour, also found 29 per cent of voters preferred Manchester [...]
Barclays and Lloyds shares sink as political storm puts banks in tax sights May 12, 2026 The UK’s banking giants led a major sell-off across the FTSE 100 this morning as a combination of political hazards hit the London stock market. Barclays was the top faller on the index shortly after market open, shedding over four per cent to 410.65p. Natwest was not far behind, also losing over four per cent [...]
Imperial Brands warns Iran war may weigh on costs and consumer demand May 12, 2026 One of Britain’s biggest tobacco companies is bracing for a potential slowdown in consumer demand sparked by the conflict in the Middle East as it hikes prices to offset cigarette declines in the first half of the year. FTSE 100 member Imperial Brands stood by its revenue and profit forecasts for the year, but noted [...]
Exclusive: Ultimate Sevens franchise rugby project to announce Reebok deal May 12, 2026 The Ultimate Sevens franchise project will today announce Reebok as its title kit sponsor, City PM can reveal. The project – dubbed by some as the R360 of the rugby sevens world – will launch on Thursday with teams and players confirmed in London. The long-term plan will see franchises sold off, similar to other [...]
Chicken roll boosts sales but Greggs warns of food inflation May 12, 2026 Brits’ warm embrace of the new chicken sausage roll has helped boost turnover at Greggs, but the company warned it could be burnt by food inflation if the Iran war persists. Greggs’ share price jumped more than six per cent on Tuesday’s market open, to 1,618p, though the stock remained down three per cent in [...]
British Land and RLAM secure robotics AI firm for London ‘innovation’ cluster May 12, 2026 London’s AI property boom is gathering pace after British Land and Royal London Asset Management secured another major tech occupier at Regent’s Place, City PM can reveal. Robotics startup Humanoid has signed for 42,000 sq ft at One Triton Square, pushing the building to 94 per cent let just six months after completion, as demand [...]