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 Morning Wire 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 [...]
Banks’ bond market headache spells trouble for FTSE 100 September 4, 2025 The frenzy in the bond market spells trouble for banking stocks and could create broader issues for the FTSE 100. Bond markets have had a tumultuous week, with the UK’s 30-year gilt yields hitting a 27-year high. This was triggered by a global sell-off, as well as political unease stemming from a Downing Street reshuffle [...]
The worrying bond market trend no one is talking about September 1, 2025 Spiking interest rates on the UK government’s borrowing costs have set off a fresh wave of commentary on the health of Britain’s economy. Ali Lyon explores why it is only long-dated bonds where tremors have been most pronounced, and why the U has plenty of company. What will you be doing in 30 years’ time? [...]