Paragon Banking chief eyes acquisitions after capital boost December 3, 2025 The boss of Paragon Banking Group has acquisitions in mind after the lender received a major tailwind from regulatory reforms this year. Nigel Terrington has said the loosening of banks’ capital requirement rules, known as MREL (minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities), will open up further growth prospects for mid-cap lenders. The boss [...]
FCA chief ducks committing to investigating Treasury briefings December 3, 2025 The boss of the City watchdog appeared to skirt committing to investigating Treasury briefings when pressed on the Labour government’s “possible market abuse” on Wednesday morning. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, has been lobbied by the Conservatives and other opponents to the Labour government to look into the rogue briefings on [...]
Whitehall was ‘shambolic’ in dealing with collapsed China spy case December 3, 2025 Whitehall officials presided over “shambolic” proceedings in the prosecution of two alleged Chinese spies, a report has suggested, with both government officials and prosecutors coming under fire over the collapse of the case. A report by parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy said the collapse of the prosecution against former parliamentary researcher Christopher [...]
Londoners don’t want Sadiq Khan to run for Mayor again December 3, 2025 The majority of Londoners do not want Sadiq Khan to run for Mayor again in 2028, new polling has shown, with 56 per cent saying London is going in the wrong direction. A Morning Wire/Freshwater Strategy poll of London voters has shown that three in five of the capital’s residents believe that Khan should not [...]
The public is running out of patience with this Labour government December 3, 2025 People believe freezing income tax thresholds was an unfair breech of Labour’s manifesto and think Kemi Badenoch would make a better Prime Minister, according to new polling for Morning Wire, writes Matthew Lesh The heist looked, for a moment, as though it might succeed. The Treasury had seeded rumours of a looming fiscal black hole [...]
Labour is making it more expensive than ever to hire young workers December 3, 2025 Increases to the minimum wage alongside increases in employer NICs have pushed up the costs of employing an 18-year-old by 26 per cent. No wonder youth unemployment is soaring and young people are emigrating in droves, says Emma Revell To say most people are struggling with the state of the British economy would be an [...]
Starmer’s approval rating tanks to new low December 2, 2025 Keir Starmer’s approval rating has cratered to an unprecedented low as voters turned against the Prime Minister in the aftermath of the Budget. Morning Wire/Freshwater Strategy polling has shown Starmer’s approval rating dropping to a score of -47, trailing well behind Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage. The figure is the lowest [...]
Natwest chief: UK ‘closer to start than finish line’ on regulation mission December 2, 2025 The government’s mission to overhaul regulation still has a long distance to go, the boss of Natwest has said, as he warned of “trade-offs” in the pursuit of cutting red tape. Paul Thwaite, the chief executive of Natwest, praised the government and the City watchdog in edging forward in its regulation mission, referencing recent changes [...]
OBR chief hits out at ‘misconceptions’ in Treasury briefings December 2, 2025 A top economist at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has defended a decision to release a letter that contradicted anonymous Treasury briefings in media reports, adding that details in reports were “damaging” to the fiscal watchdog. David Miles, a member of the Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC), told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that [...]
Starmer calls for ‘sober realism’ in relations with China amid embassy row December 2, 2025 Keir Starmer said the UK’s approach to relations with China should be guided by “sober realism” in a wide-ranging foreign policy speech at Guildhall in London. At the Lady Mayor’s Banquet, Starmer said the UK had to reject a “binary choice” in being too hawkish or dovish in relations with China. After weeks of diplomatic [...]