Week in Business

We might have been promised a 'do no harm' Budget, but the Chancellor's plans could well - in fact - do quite a lot of harm. Christian May explains the grim implications of tax hikes, failure to cut spending, and decisions kicked into the long grass. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

Andy Burnham might be about to do something really smart, and good for growth. Something that should have been done a while ago, and businesses agree. City AM Editor-in-Chief discusses exactly this in this episode of Week in Business. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

Financial alarm bells are ringing but Andy Burnham doesn't seem to have noticed. Christian May explains what this means for Westminster, the markets, interest rates - and your tax bill. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

Andy Burnham’s allies boasted that highly-regarded economists had been lured as advisers. City AM Editor in Chief Christian May and Economics and Politics Reporter Mauricio Alencar discuss the non-appointments of some of Britain’s best economists – and what the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s new teams look like. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

As City AM reports that AI companies are destroying old and rare books whilst using them to train their models, Christian May sets out the pros and cons of the new, transformative technology. After court documents revealed Anthropic bought, scanned and destroyed millions of physical books as part of a controversial project to feed an insatiable demand for training data, is AI a net bonus or hindrance to humanity? Week in Business is also available in video format here .

As PM Andy Burnham's spending commitment's mount, City AM's Editor in Chief Christian May tots up the damage. From bus fare caps to housing the homeless, Burnham's spending bill already comes to £22bn. Welcome to the Week in Business. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

Andy Burnham has big ideas - will he need big tax hikes to pay for them? And if so, who could he target? Christian May looks at his options, stating with the banking sector. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

From nationalising utilities to spending on welfare, Andy Burnham is talking as if Britain's a rich country. In fact, the economy is on life support, taxes are too high and unemployment's rising. Will he grasp the scale of the challenge or lead Britain down a disastrous path? Week in Business is also available in video format here .

What's left of the Labour government is scrambling around for policy ideas as the UK economy faces a battering storm, while Labour leadership candidates Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting have fired the starting gun on a new debate about tax hikes, spending plans, Brexit and how to beat Nigel Farage. City AM Editor Christian May says businesses should buckle up for another crazy ride. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

Even by the standards of this government, this week has been extraordinarily chaotic. Upwards of 100 MPs have lost confidence in Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting looks poised to make a challenge, and Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham lurk in the wings. In this instalment of Week in Business, City AM Editor-in-Chief Christian May digs into the carnage that awaits the economy, the markets, and the British public. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

The 1970s was a bleak time for the UK - are we heading back in that direction? City AM Editor-in-Chief Christian May discusses in this instalment of Week in Business. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

City AM's Editor in Chief reacts to the Green Party's comments on his column. In his recent leader column Christian wrote "Polanski’s simplistic economic analysis makes for a simple wish list, including taxing the oil and gas companies out of existence; nationalising utilities; slapping wealth taxes on the rich; introducing rent controls; and spending money like a drunken sailor." Find out what the Greens had to say in response. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

After years of scrutiny and regulatory wrangling, Revolut has finally secured its UK banking licence. On one level, it’s just another regulatory milestone on a long and interesting journey. On another, it marks the moment when an insurgent fintech disruptor becomes something much bigger: a fully-fledged bank in its home market. City AM Editor-in-Chief Christian May has all the analysis in this instalment of Week in Business. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

War in the Middle East rendered the Chancellor’s Spring Statement “irrelevant” according to City analysts as the economic impacts of the Iran conflict become frighteningly clear. Rachel Reeves made just a passing mention of the Iran war when she addressed MPs on Tuesday, referring briefly to global instability while trying to paint a picture of domestic economic harmony. I can’t sugar coat it; the Chancellor appeared out of the loop, out of depth and out of ideas. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

We haven’t heard much from Rachel Reeves so far this year – probably a deliberate strategy – but is the Chancellor set to make waves next week at the Spring Statement? My fear is that a low-key Spring Statement followed by political turmoil in the Labour party – basically a given with local elections just a few months away – will mean we face at best another year of managed decline or, at worst, a harsh leftward turn from a government that has already demonstrated that it doesn’t have a clue how to grow the economy. Reeves has been keeping a low profile, but the spotlight is about to turn on her. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

A viral post from an AI investor warns most people have no idea how good AI is, or how quickly it will come for their jobs. Will it come for mine? Maybe. If you’re listening to this and you’re thinking “Jesus Christian keep up, I’ve been doing that for months, I’ve been vibe coding, I’ve been deep in Claude” then fair enough, but I belong to the group of people who right now only scratch the surface of AI’s capabilities – and that is most people. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

In this episode of Week in Business, City AM's Editor in Chief, Christian May, touches on Merck, the £300bn pharma giant, pulling the plug on a £1bn project at London’s King’s Cross. He also dives into why the business community is nervous about the upcoming budget and why the CBI would rather have a broader income tax hike. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

It’s not just Angela Rayner who finds herself on the defensive; Rachel Reeves has come out fighting - claiming many of her critics are talking rubbish. So, does she have a point? In this episode of Week in Business, City AM editor-in-chief Christian May discusses the reshuffle that has centralised economics firepower away from her, and within Number 10. With less backing than ever before from Keir Starmer, can the Chancellor fix the UK's perilous financial situation? Week in Business is also available in video format here .

As summer comes to a close, is this the calm before a major financial storm? In this episode of Week in Business, City AM editor-in-chief Christian May discusses the economic risks on the horizon for the government. Wedged between backbenchers who won't allow spending cuts and the spiralling cost of servicing government debt, Rachel Reeves is in a tight spot ahead of this year's Budget. Week in Business is also available in video format here .

The Labour government's need for cash is greater than its appetite for considered reform, City AM's Editor in Chief, Christian May, voices his concern in this episode of Week in Business. Christian argues that there is no scenario in which a new property tax regime instigated by this government would yield less revenue than the current arrangements. Easing the burden on taxpayers is not the priority here; however, they dress it up. Week in Business is also available in video format here .