Government borrowing costs mount on fears of inflation spike March 9, 2026 Government borrowing costs have climbed on escalating fears that the war in the Middle East will push up inflation and leave interest rates higher. The 10-year gilt yield jumped by some 14 basis points on Monday morning as traders continue selling off their gilt holdings over mounting fears that interest rates could rise. Longer-term gilt [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP tumbles on buyback suspension, Barclays profit boost February 10, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. It was a rocky day for bond markets on Monday as political jitters rippled through the City. The 10-year gilt yield – a key benchmark for the government – rose as much as 10 basis points to 4.62 per cent following news that Scottish Labour [...]
Downing Street resignations trigger bond market jitters February 9, 2026 Nervousness rippled through UK bond markets on Monday after a series of Downing Street resignations concentrated minds on the uncertain future of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. The 10-year gilt yield – a key benchmark for the government – jumped as much as 10 basis points to 4.62 per cent in the early afternoon following [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Natwest shares fall after deal; Political jitters in bond market February 9, 2026 Good morning and welcome to the City PM liveblog. Markets will have a lot to catch up on this morning after the latest escalation in political dramas over the weekend. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff announced his exit from government amid mounting pressure over the appointment of Peter Mandelson to US ambassador. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer unease rattles markets; Big tech sell-off February 6, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Speculation over Keir Starmer’s future has unleashed a fresh round of market unease as investors dumped the pound, UK equities and long-dated government bonds amid rising political uncertainty. The gulf in price between the UK’s short- and long-term debt – known as the yield curve – reached [...]
Starmer defends Burnham snub: ‘The fight is with Reform’ January 26, 2026 Keir Starmer has defended a decision to block Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate to run as an MP in an upcoming by-election, claiming political resources should be allocated towards Labour’s “fight with Reform”. Less than a day after Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) – which Starmer is a member of – voted 8-1 [...]
UK government borrowing overshoots expectations in November December 19, 2025 UK government borrowing exceeded expectations in November but still fell year-on-year after tax receipts surged following Rachel Reeves’ first Autumn Budget. The latest release from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed public sector borrowing topped £11.7bn in November. City economists expected government borrowing to come in at £10.2bn over the month. Despite this, the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: OBR chiefs face MP grilling; Food inflation slows December 2, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) admitted its “worst failure in the 15-year history” of the fiscal watchdog on Monday. This morning, from 10am, two of its remaining spokespeople will be facing a grilling from the Treasury select committee of MPs. The sensational leak of [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer denies Budget ‘misleading’ as Reeves on brink December 1, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. It was quite the Budget week to end November and for many more questions were created than answered. Whilst Labour might’ve hoped it would be be their rallying moment – with the lifting of the two-child benefit cap and doubling of the Chancellor’s fiscal buffer [...]
Markets responded positively to Budget, says Peel Hunt chief December 1, 2025 The boss of one of London’s best-known investment banks has shrugged off concerns over the Budget, suggesting that the tax-raising plans pleased financial markets. Peel Hunt CEO Steven Fine said markets viewed the state of the UK’s finances as “quite stable” following the Budget, pointing to a rise in the government’s fiscal headroom which helped [...]
