How will the Budget impact your personal finances? November 27, 2025 It’s the day after Rachel Reeves’ crunch Budget, and while the Office of Budget Responsibility leak may be the main talking point, after months of speculation we finally know how personal finances will be impacted. As expected, Reeves extended income tax freezes and introduced a range of smaller taxes, in moves that are expected to [...]
Leak and Let Die: OBR calls in former spook to investigate early Budget release November 27, 2025 The embattled Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has brought in a former top spook to investigate how its entire forecast was published early before Rachel Reeves stood up to deliver the Budget. Alongside the watchdog’s oversight board, Ciaran Martin, former chief of the National Cyber Security Centre – part of the security services – will [...]
David Lammy avoids urgent questions on jury scrapping plans November 27, 2025 Justice secretary David Lammy was a no-show at urgent questions in the House of Commons on Thursday, prompting Robert Jenrick to ask about his whereabouts as the justice minister took his place. The questions stem from a leaked memo reported on Tuesday, in which Lammy proposed scrapping some jury trials to tackle the backlog of [...]
Banks keep up their end of Rachel Reeves’ tax bargain November 27, 2025 The banking industry has given Rachel Reeves some much-needed ammunition as she attempts to defend her tax-heavy Autumn Budget. After being spared from a highly-anticipated cash grab, a fleet of banks announced a fresh pump of capital in the UK economy. Britain’s largest retail bank Lloyds Banking Group unveiled £35bn of new finance for 2026 [...]
UK markets need radical reform, not the Chancellor’s endless tweaks November 27, 2025 ISA reform and stamp duty relief are sticking plasters for a stock market that needs major surgery, writes Tim Focas.
Big Tech pays up as Reeves keeps digital tax November 27, 2025 The Treasury slipped out its long-awaited review of the UK’s Digital Services Tax alongside yesterday’s Budget – and despite months of diplomatic sabre-rattling from Washington, the government is digging in. Big Tech, it seems, will still have to cough up. The report, required by legislation and published with all the enthusiasm of a rainy Tuesday, [...]
Multi-billion Earls Court redevelopment given green light November 27, 2025 A £10bn masterplan to redevelop the former Earls Court Exhibition Centres has been given the green light by Hammersmith council. The planning committee unanimously agreed to grant planning permission for the 44-acre site, which will be transformed as a new neighbourhood with around 4,000 homes in addition to leisure and cultural venues. “Earls Court will [...]
MMA in the Olympics? New global body targets Games inclusion November 27, 2025 Mixed-martial arts could be added to the Olympic Games under plans announced today by Asian MMA chiefs. The Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA) says it wants to unify the sport under a new world governing body called FIMMA, which will meet for the first time next week. They believe that will boost their chances [...]
Brain drain: Net migration plummets to pre-pandemic low as more Brits flee November 27, 2025 Net migration has fallen to a pre-pandemic low, official statistics have shown, as successive Tory and Labour governments have looked to tighten controls on visas. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said net migration dropped to 204,000 in the year ending June 2025, around two-thirds lower than levels a year earlier. The large fall [...]
Banks to pay ombudsman more as Treasury crackdown costs £8m November 27, 2025 Banks will pay more to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the next year as the body strums up cash for its bill to meet the Treasury’s clampdown. Financial services will pay the FOS £86m in the 2026/27 financial year – an increase of £16m – under new proposals, which aim to beef up the Compulsory [...]