Samuel Norman

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin hits back at Ed Miliband suggestion pubs serve warm beer to keep energy bills down He tells @CityAM "Miliband has three areas of non-expertise: running pubs, eating bacon sandwiches and energy policy." cityam.com/wetherspoon-bo…

City fears Rayner’s rise as she warns Starmer that Labour is ‘running out of time’ bit.ly/4sc7W20

Thrilled to say I have been promoted to Senior City Reporter at @CityAM - I'll be continuing in the banking and fintech beat as well as taking lead on our morning liveblog. As always for any tips / good stories / useful meetings -> samuel.norman@cityam.com

@alysdenby ‘Thirst Tapp’ is fantastic

What is going on, why is my timeline all just thirst Tapp content now?

Scoop: London-based fintech Zempler Bank has been snapped up by Nigeria’s biggest bank in a deal that has slashed the firm’s valuation. The sale represents a dramatic haircut for the firm slicing its price tag by more than half. Via @CityAM ⤵️ cityam.com/uk-fintech-zem…

Scoop: Starling's founder Anne Boden has sold off part of her stake in the bank. It comes after reports the bank was targeting a £4bn valuation last year in a secondary share sale. Full story @CityAM ⤵️ cityam.com/starling-found…

Scoop: The elusive billionaire backer of Starling has withdrawn support for a London IPO for the fintech after mounting regulation frustrations. Sources tell me Harald McPike had been lobbying for a listing in the City but has since changed his tune. cityam.com/exclusive-star…

"A WAR OF WORDS" @MauricioFCA_ / @SamNormanWrites for @CityAM Full Story: t.ly/iCfj_ The war of words between President #DonaldTrump's administration and #Europe ramped up. #WorldLeaders prepare for a showdown in #Davos. #CityAM #TomorrowsPapersToday #IBPAPERS

🚨Donald Trump announces a 10% tariff on the UK and other European nations amidst Greenland spat. Says they will remain in place until “a deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” Liberation Day 2025, welcome back.

The best of British pomp and pageantry on offer in Westminster today.

WE ARE JEROME POWELL! ✊

Never a quiet quarter for HSBC… The bank has agreed to cough up over £230m to settle an investigation relating to claims of dividend tax-fraud. An investigation revolved around historical claims of ‘cum-cum’ trading. Read more ⤵️ cityam.com/hsbc-to-cough-…

What keeps you up at night?👻 If you ask City bankers - it's Angela Rayner capturing the keys to No.10. The ex-Deputy PM is tipped to take the reins if Starmer exits in a blow to banks after Rayner called to up taxes on the sector. Read more @CityAM⤵️ cityam.com/angela-rayner-…

“There’s going to be winners and losers,” in the battle between banks and fintechs, Antony Jenkins, the former CEO of Barclays tells me. And right now, Jenkins says it is looking like the fintechs have the upper hand. Read the full interview here ⤵️ cityam.com/legacy-banks-m…

Merry Christmas one and all 🎄

A little (major) Christmas presents for UK farmers after a year of protests. Interesting timing from Labour to release this now... cityam.com/labour-u-turns…

Monthly reminder when journalists say the economy ‘unexpectedly’ shrank it’s based off surveys from economists who had pencilled in a different figure. These serve as independent steer - and yes can often be wrong - but come from far more analysis than any vibes-based opinion.

Lies, leaks, beginner’s level hacking and a resignation: What happened in The Leaky War between the OBR and Rachel Reeves over the last week? Full in-depth story here cityam.com/the-leaky-war-… And main points...🧵

He's replacing Richard Hughes