Trump’s call to pause strikes in Iran boosts markets March 23, 2026 Global markets leaped on news that President Trump paused strikes on Iranian infrastructure as he hinted that negotiations had been “very good and productive”. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – plunged back to below $100 per barrle after having jumped to $112 earlier in the day. The FTSE 100 also rose [...]
Starmer vows to use ‘every lever’ to protect Brits from damage to UK economy March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use “every lever” to prevent households from being hit by higher energy prices amid growing fears the Iran war is wreaking havoc on the UK economy. On Monday morning, the Prime Minister suggested an emergency Cobra meeting between the most senior government ministers and the Bank of England governor [...]
Ministers are sacrificing growth for votes, say top business bosses March 23, 2026 Government ministers have undermined the UK’s long-term economic interests by becoming “trapped” into making poor short-term policy decisions to appease voters, Britain’s top business bosses have warned. The group of corporate leaders, which include Natwest chair Rick Haythornthwaite, Heathrow chair Philip Jansen and Barratt Redrow chair Caroline Silver, said successive governments have failed to prioritise [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jittery after Trump’s latest TACO; Oil price slips March 23, 2026 Welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Markets are in recovery mode after a dramatic intervention from President Donald Trump slapped a delay on his bombastic ultimatum. Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Iranian regime on Saturday night, where he called for the full re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a [...]
UK economy in peril as growth forecast slashed in half March 20, 2026 The UK economy is set to grow by half as much as economists predicted before the war in Iran started as forecasters attempt to make sense of how deep the impact of an energy price shock will be. A leading economics consultancy has revised its UK growth forecast down to 0.4 per cent compared to [...]
Borrowing costs soar to post-financial crisis high in blow to Reeves March 20, 2026 UK government borrowing costs have soared to their highest level since the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, with markets frightened by the state of public finances in the face of another global price shock. Gilt yields have inched up over the course of the week, with the ten-year gilt yield topping 4.9 per cent on [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates twice, JP Morgan says March 20, 2026 The Bank of England will hike interest rates at its next meeting in late April, JP Morgan has predicted, presenting a new threat to the security of the UK economy. JP Morgan economist Allan Monks has said that the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will opt to raise interest rates at least twice this year. [...]
Reeves hit by spike in government borrowing March 20, 2026 UK government borrowing rose by more than expected in February, it has been revealed, adding a strain on public finances as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces trouble ahead with deciding the government’s response to the war in Iran. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said that the government borrowed £14bn, with economists having predicted the [...]
‘Confidence exits UK economy’: FTSE 100 dips below 10,000 mark March 19, 2026 The FTSE 100 dipped below the 10,000 mark as stocks plunged on Thursday on fears the war in the Middle East was set to bring regional energy production to a halt. Traders sold off assets en masse over the course of the day, with the FTSE 100 falling by some 2.5 per cent amid turmoil [...]
Zack hits back – but I stand by what I said: The Green Party is dangerous March 19, 2026 After yesterday’s column on Zack Polanski (“I wouldn’t vote for his party in a million years“) the Green Party leader hit back, suggesting a lack of compassion on my part. Being firmly of a free-market persuasion I’m used to having my motives questioned, but I stand by my view that Polanski’s economic policies (wealth taxes, [...]
