Evening Briefing: Thursday 1 October 2026
- Fuel: Diesel is at a record, just under 200p a litre, and Britain is in talks with EU partners about releasing strategic reserves if they are needed. Oil rose more than 4% today.
- Your mortgage: The thirty-year gilt yield touched 6% this morning, its highest since 1998, but finished back below that at 5.94%, with the ten-year at 5.39%. Gilt yields set the benchmark for fixed-rate pricing.
- Your energy bill: The price cap rose this morning to £1,723 a year for a typical household, with VAT on electricity now zero until 31 March. Forecasters expect £1,999 in January.
Putin Says Russia Will Use Every Weapon to Defend Kaliningrad
Addressing the Valdai foreign policy forum, Vladimir Putin said Russia would use all the weapons at its disposal if it judged its Baltic exclave had come under direct attack. He insisted Russia was “not threatening anyone” and was merely a…
A Third American Carrier Heads to the Gulf and Oil Jumps 4%
Brent closed 4.4% higher at $102.31 after a report that the United States is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, along with Marine Corps ships and up to 10,000 additional troops, expected to arrive by the end…
Flydubai Attacker Was an Omani Who Shouted 'Kill Me', Netanyahu Says
Investigations suggest the co-pilot who stabbed his captain and tried to bring down a Dubai to Tel Aviv flight had undergone “Islamist radical indoctrination”, the Israeli prime minister said, describing him as an Omani national. Once subd…
Explosions Strike Addis Ababa as Ethiopia's War Reaches the Capital
Explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopia’s capital, some near the military headquarters in the west of the city and another in the south, according to residents and diplomatic sources. They came hours after drone flights were banned ove…
British Sikh Activist Freed After Nine Years in an Indian Jail
Jagtar Singh Johal has been released from a Delhi prison after the Indian high court warned the government it would be held in contempt if it continued to keep him detained despite a bail order issued on 18 September. He had been held for…
UK-Iranian Dual National Arrested Over the Fairford Incident
A 27-year-old man holding British and Iranian citizenship has been arrested in Westminster on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts in connection with the events at RAF Fairford. A second man, a 26-year-old British national, has been…
Britain in Talks With the EU on Releasing Strategic Fuel Reserves
Britain is discussing with European partners the release of additional strategic fuel reserves, including diesel, if they are needed. The talks follow Donald Trump’s threat to ban American diesel exports to hold down prices at home. Britis…
Ministers Weigh Scrapping a Disability Benefit for Under-25s
Ministers are working on welfare plans that include removing the health element of universal credit for claimants under 25, replacing it with a multibillion-pound package of support into work. The payment has already been almost halved, to…
Farage Calls Burnham's Brexit Reopening the Biggest Boost of His Career
Nigel Farage said the Prime Minister had handed him “the biggest boost in my career” by reviving the European question, and had opened “a huge flank” to Reform across the red wall. Addressing hundreds of supporters at Doncaster racecourse,…
Labour Figures Call Healey's Budget Approach 'Underpowered'
Senior Labour figures are privately uneasy about the Chancellor’s approach to his first Budget, with his conference speech criticised for offering little detail on policy or preparation for possible tax rises. One Labour MP complained that…