Brits fear Rachel Reeves’ next Budget will make them worse off October 7, 2025 A majority of Britons believe Rachel Reeves’ next Budget will make them worse off while three in four have lost faith in the government’s growth mission, fresh polling reveals. The Labour government has made growing the UK economy its central mission in government in a bid to claw back support across the electorate. But the [...]
Mel Stride pledges sweeping tax cuts for businesses and young people October 6, 2025 Mel Stride has pledged to make sweeping tax cuts for businesses and young house buyers if the Tories are re-elected, in a speech talking up the party’s economic plans for the coming years. In a speech setting out the Tories’ commitment to keep public spending under control and lower costs for businesses, Stride accused Labour [...]
Construction sector hit by waning activity ahead of Budget October 6, 2025 Business activity expectations in the construction industry have fallen to the lowest since the end of 2022 as companies remained glum on future outlook ahead of the Autumn Budget. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed construction output showed the industry hit its highest level for three months at 46.2 – though [...]
Economists ask Labour to prioritise planning reform and cut tax to boost growth October 6, 2025 A survey of economists and policy experts has put pressure on Labour to “spend political capital” on planning reform to encourage more home building and on reforming the welfare system, reflecting the urgency of the government’s mission to grow the economy. A centre-left think tank focused on growth policy, the Centre for British Progress, has [...]
Rachel Reeves mulls bank tax amid scramble to fill fiscal hole October 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves is reported to be weighing up a tax on Britain’s banking giants as the Treasury looks to strum up cash in the forthcoming Autumn Budget. The Chancellor is expected to be staring down a fiscal blackhole of over £20bn come November 26 and banks have been viewed as an easy – and politically [...]
Tories commit to £47bn savings package to ‘restore public finances’ October 6, 2025 The Tories have committed to making £47bn in savings across the welfare state and Whitehall to “ensure the country lives within our means”, in a radical pledge that aims to restore the beleaguered party’s reputation for fiscal responsibility. In a speech to Tory party members in Manchester on Monday, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride will claim [...]
Capital gains tax raid should have ‘health warning’, Labour warned October 6, 2025 Labour risks stunting growth and discouraging investment if it pursues further capital gains hikes, tax advisers have warned, as reforms proposed by top think tanks were pushed back on by industry figures. Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have talked up the prospects of attracting investment in the UK and making the wider tax system fairer [...]
Rachel Reeves mulls hiring ‘outsider’ for banking watchdog role October 4, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking to hire a City heavyweight to succeed Sam Woods as the chief executive of the main banking watchdog once his term ends in the middle of next year, it has been reported. Sam Woods’ term as chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), the watchdog which is part of [...]
Andrew Bailey: Regulation is not hampering growth October 3, 2025 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned of the dangers associated with paring back financial regulation, in a speech in which he also denied that the abundance of red tape foisted on the financial sector after the Great Financial Crash had impeded economic activity. Addressing the Klass Knot Farewell Symposium, Bailey, who was recently [...]
‘Subdued’ services sector suffers steep drop as tax hikes bite October 3, 2025 Business activity expansion fell to a five-month low after a “subdued” services sector experienced a dull end to the third quarter. S&P’s UK Services Purchasing Managers Index Business Activity tumbled to 50.8 in September, falling steeply from the 16-month high of 54.2 secured in August. “This summer’s acceleration in output growth is now looking like [...]