As it happened: FTSE 100 recovers after oil surge dampens mood; Strikes in the Strait of Hormuz July 14, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Oil prices are marching higher after the latest wave of military action in the Middle East following the US reinstating its blockade on imports from Iran. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – surged above $84 per barrel on Tuesday, bringing gains for the week [...]
The City will bid good riddance to Rachel Reeves July 14, 2026 Rachel Reeves should be remembered: for dissembling, breaking promises and making Brits poorer. Little consolation, then, that her likely successor Ed Miliband will be so much worse, says Alys Denby Rachel Reeves will make what is likely to be her final Mansion House Speech this evening and will encourage Andy Burnham to continue her legacy. [...]
Why does Britain treat housebuilding as one big burden? July 14, 2026 Housebuilding is one of Britain's most obvious economic opportunities, yet government and citizens alike seem to see it only as a burden.
Reeves issues warning to successor as she battles to defend record July 14, 2026 Rachel Reeves is set to issue a stern warning to her successor in Number 11 as she battles to defend her record after two years in office ahead of the overthrow of Labour’s election-winning leadership. In what is widely expected to be her final act as Chancellor before Andy Burnham is made Prime Minister next [...]
Burnham urged to go further to fix ‘broken’ business rates July 14, 2026 Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham must broaden his plans to reform the “broken and unsustainable” business rates system, hospitality and retail industry leaders have warned. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to slash business rates for high street firms but a coalition of trade bodies has urged him to go further. Ros [...]
Top investors managing $3tn to gain access to UK infrastructure projects via AI platform July 14, 2026 Top global investors managing around $3 trillion in assets will be given access to “fragmented” British infrastructure projects under plans for an AI platform designed to fix the industry’s investment woes. Both national and regional projects will be connected to trillions of global capital through the AI platform, dubbed InvestConnect, in a bid to accelerate [...]
Grid delays force Starmer-backed AI data centre to seek alternative power July 13, 2026 One of the UK’s flagship AI infrastructure projects is being forced to source its own energy supplies after discovering it would not be granted grid connection in time for its eagerly anticipated opening. Nscale, the British AI unicorn backed by Nvidia, is now looking beyond conventional electricity connections for its flagship £2bn data centre in [...]
Financial services bankruptcies rise as MFS collapse ripples through sector July 13, 2026 The number of financial services companies entering administration spiked sharply in the first half of 2026 on the back of rising costs and the ripple effects of the collapse of mortgage provider Market Financial Solutions, according to a risk advisory firm. A total of 649 companies across sectors went under across the UK between January [...]
Rachel Reeves to unveil next steps for ring-fencing reform at Mansion House July 13, 2026 Rachel Reeves will outline the next steps of her ring-fencing reforms at Mansion House on Tuesday, Morning Wire can reveal, in what is expected to be one of her last acts in the Treasury. The Chancellor will launch a consultation to seek industry input on the implementation of a package of reforms announced in May, including the [...]