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 [...]
UK borrowing costs storm past five per cent after Starmer warns of ‘chaos’ if ousted May 11, 2026 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 [...]
Manic Monday: How Trump rocked global markets March 23, 2026 President Donald Trump sent global markets on a rollercoaster ride as traders were left stunned by mixed messages coming from the US administration and the Iranian regime. The Brent Crude oil price was trading around $114 per barrel before Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he was pausing strikes due to “productive” [...]
Meet the Bond girl who refused to be objectified February 12, 2026 Maryam d’Abo’s leading role as Bond girl Kara Milvoy in 1987’s The Living Daylights marked the beginning of a feminist turning point for 007. But after it, d’Abo was offered “demeaning” roles in Hollywood. She turned away from those to forge an artistic path uncharacteristic for Bond girls of her era. She returns to the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP tumbles on buyback suspension, Barclays profit boost February 10, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire 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 [...]
Giant film review: Pierce Brosnan grips in this underrated boxing drama January 20, 2026 Giant film review with Pierce Brosnan, world premiere at the London Film Festival: ★★★★ Speculation about Pierce Brosnan returning to James Bond seems less outrageous after watching Giant, in which the 72-year-old plays variously-aged versions of the same boxing trainer. In the younger scenes, with flat cap pulled down and pouting like a champ, squint [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer denies Budget ‘misleading’ as Reeves on brink December 1, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire 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 [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget and bubbles continue to set agenda November 17, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. We are now just over a week out from the Labour government’s second Budget and last week rogue Westminster briefings sent ripples through markets. After continuous weeks and media outings teasing a manifesto-breaking income tax hike, the government rowed back with several reports pointing to [...]
Banking watchdog boss warns easing capital rules ‘highly risky’ October 22, 2025 The head of the UK’s banking watchdog has warned of high risk if the UK loosens its rules around lenders’ capital framework as the government pushes for economic growth. Sam Woods, the head of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said requiring banks to no longer set aside capital for top-tier sovereign bonds would “be equivalent [...]
Bank of England ‘under pressure’ to slow bond sales amid market tumult September 5, 2025 The Bank of England should slow its quantitative tightening programme and stop active sales of long-dated bonds entirely in the wake of this week’s bond rout that saw the cost of long-term borrowing soar to its highest level this century, a group of top economists has said. Markets were rocked by a global sell-off in [...]