In the City

Leaders across European capitals are scrambling to work out what the withdrawal of US military aid means for Ukraine and Europe’s security as a whole. Led by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a “coalition of the willing” has been formed to support Ukraine both financially and militarily. But will it be enough?To help us answer that question, host Allegra Stratton is joined by Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative member of Parliament who previously served as security minister. He says the return of Donald Trump to the White House and his actions to distance America from Ukraine and Europe is a “9-11 moment—one of those moments where you have to rethink the fundamentals.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Francine Lacqua and Allegra Stratton speak with Damian Shepherd, the reporter looking into allegations of misconduct at London real estate agency, Foxtons. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Skipton Group CEO Stuart Haire joins host Dave Merritt to explain where British homebuyers can get the most for their money and to discuss the latest data from Skipton’s Home Affordability Index. They also discuss the UK’s wider affordability problem for first-time buyers.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, Bloomberg revealed that activist investor Elliott Investment Management had built a large stake in BP Plc. BP shares climbed as the news broke, perhaps attributable to the fact that Elliott has a track record of driving significant change within companies. Investors may also see this as a timely intervention, given BP’s performance has slumped over the past few years, relative to its competitors. On this week’s In The City, hosts Francine Lacqua and Allegra Stratton sit down with Bloomberg’s Aaron Kirchfeld to discuss the potential geopolitical ramifications of Elliott’s move, why BP’s poor performance over the last few years made a takeover more likely and how the shift away from net-zero, despite the accelerating climate crisis, has facilitated such a move. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francine Lacqua sits down with Dan Hanson, chief UK economist at Bloomberg Economics, to discuss how tariffs on the EU would complicate its relationship with the UK, and how the UK is bracing for tit-for-tat tariff policies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Opinion columnist Parmy Olson joins Francine Lacqua and Allegra Stratton to explain what DeepSeek’s surprise innovation means for the UK and everyone else. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the sidelines of the conference, Dave Merritt sat down with Thierry Mallaret. Thierry is an economist who has worked as an adviser for major investment banks and governments. He also founded and headed the Global Risk Network at WEF and for a number of years in succession, he conceived and put in place the program for the annual Davos meeting. He'a also the author of Deaths at Davos, and now Deaths at Davos 2.0, dark satires of what's really going in within the WEF. They discuss how the drama of those novels are grounded in the reality of what happens at the annual conference, and why the World Economic Forum's focus has had to change to stay relevant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global elite gathered in Davos this week but the conversation centered on Trump back in DC. Businessweek Editor Brad Stone joins Francine Lacqua and Dave Merritt on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum to make sense of the Stargate announcement, the Elon Musk-Sam Altman spat and when the alliance between Big Tech and Trump could sour. They also discuss pessimism about Europe and why everyone at Davos is talking about Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is modern technology ruining our children? In a live taping before an audience at Bloomberg House in Davos, Francine Lacqua sits down with author of "The Anxious Generation" and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt to tackle that question. They discuss the impact of social media on Gen Z's childhoods, and how that might shape their potential as a workforce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economist Jim O’Neill says that UK market moves have been exaggerated, but Labour still needs to convince investors its plans are sound. O’Neill also discusses what Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves faces going forward. If we are entering a bear market on global bonds, he says, Reeves has an issue with her fiscal framework. But it’s still not time to be an alarmist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.