The UK is not about to disappear in a puff of smoke because the Gilts Market is having a minor tantrum. But there is a serious Political Competency premium on Gilts, which will rise when the scale of Labour’s defeat becomes apparent, and the Starmer premiership is up against the wall. Trouble ahead.
The spike in Gilt Yields says it all. Its crisis – again – in Westminster as Starmer is mired in crisis with no obvious way out. Yet again we learn a political lesson – good political leaders are a scarce commodity. The British electorate is losing faith in politics. What will global investors think?
In bonds there is truth – at least there was until political campaigners realised what a powerful tool they might be to amplify political failure. Destabilising markets by roiling bonds is unlikely to end well. The consequences could be fearful.
The UK’s Torygraph Newspaper excelled itself over the weekend, publishing claims the UK is bust and seeking an IMF bailout. Their readership loved it as proof positive the UK is doomed and how terrible the new government is. It undermined the Gilts market, and raised substantial global investor fears over the investibility of the UK. The story was utterly unfounded.
The scale of the UK’s funding crisis is becoming increasingly apparent. It can be fixed – but needs political sacrifice. “Changing Policy” and backing off promises has costs and consequences. The UK is not in dire peril - it remains a fine, innovative and strong economy, but we need to get real on spending and how its funded.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves should be angry, not tearful. The multiple crises facing the UK’s funding have been long-term in creation. Reeves has the opportunity to fix them. The recipe is simple; common sense, political discipline, a dash for growth and a spicing of Gilts Liability Management. C’mon Rachel… you can do it.
Yesterday’s UK’s 15-year Gilt deal was a 15 times oversubscribed blowout success, demonstrating global investors have confidence in the UK’s competence, stability and markets. However, Ray Dalio is writing another book about why countries go bust, and reckons the UK is caught in a debt-death spiral. I doubt it.
The UK chattering classes are delighted. They’ve finally got something they can all agree on – it’s all Labour’s fault. However, that leaves one itsy-bitzy problem? We all agree this lost are useless. The last lot was even more useless. How and who is actually going to fix the UK? I prescribe a course of pragmatic reality and primal screaming….
Hard Hats to the Ready. Is Elon Musk trying to bring down the UK government by undermining sterling and the Gilts market through lies and disinformation on X? Might sound like conspiracy theory – but that’s what it feels like in the market.
The UK’s general election will be the most critical moment in UK politics in decades. The key point will be for prospective new Chancellor Rachel Reeves to persuade global markets the UK is investible. She needs to be absolutely clear on her plans and engagement.











