Reeves urged to cut bank tax as UK competitiveness lags February 25, 2026 Rachel Reeves is facing renewed calls to cut tax on the banking sector after new bombshell research laid bare the competitive disadvantage UK lenders are battling against. The Chancellor spared banks from a highly-anticipated fresh tax raid in the Autumn Budget but a new report – penned by the Association for Financial Markets (AFME) and [...]
Bank of England chief: Interest rate cut is an ‘open question’ February 24, 2026 The governor of the Bank of England has said that an interest rate cut in March was an “open question” as policymakers suggested the jobs market would remain weak over the coming months. Appearing before the Treasury Select Committee on Tuesday, Andrew Bailey said he had not seen enough evidence to back an interest rate [...]
Russia’s economy ‘in stagnation’ as war takes toll February 24, 2026 Russia’s economy has “moved into a period of stagnation” after initial war efforts boosted output in the country, amid growing hopes in the West that further sanctions have been successful in limiting its growth. Four years on from the start of President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, economists have flagged the threats faced by [...]
UK unemployment will surpass pandemic high, says JP Morgan February 24, 2026 UK unemployment will brush past its peak in the Covid-19 pandemic, Wall Street’s biggest bank has predicted, as employer’s still feel the brunt of Rachel Reeves’ cash grabs. The rate of unemployed Brits is tipped to reach 5.5 per cent by the late spring, according to a forecast by JP Morgan, which would mark an [...]
Louise Haigh doubles down on demand for OBR overhaul February 24, 2026 Former transport secretary and vocal soft-left backbencher Louise Haigh has issued another plea for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to overhaul the Office for Budget Responsibility a week before the Spring Statement. In a swipe at the Chancellor’s management of the UK economy, Haigh argued that mandating the watchdog to produce five-year forecast windows “risks entrenching decline”. [...]
Entrepreneurs offer a plan to pull Britain out of the doom loop February 24, 2026 Entrepreneurs are problem solvers by nature, so we should welcome the fact that an esteemed group of them are turning their attention to the biggest challenge of our age: how to pull Britain out of the doom loop. Enterprise Britain launches today with a rallying cry to “reject the narrative of decline” and “reignite Britain’s [...]
UK firms ‘misallocate £10bn’ on HR departments, report says February 23, 2026 The UK’s human resources sector is twice the size of the EU’s and has led to firms misallocating as much as £10bn in capital, new research has suggested. A paper on the cost of diversity and equality agendas on businesses has argued that HR departments have grown at a disproportionate rate, with the UK having [...]
Reform vow to create new ‘wealth fund’ using pension schemes February 23, 2026 Reform UK has pledged to create a new “British Sovereign Wealth Fund” using local government pension schemes as part of Richard Tice’s first policy package as the party’s spokesman for business, trade and energy. Reform has vowed to wrap various arms of government, including housing and energy, into one office that focuses on growth, job [...]
Businesses continue to face legal uncertainty despite court ruling on tariffs February 23, 2026 When the US Supreme Court handed down a landmark judgment against President Donald Trump’s tariffs last week the ruling sent shockwaves across the world, raising questions about what is next for businesses. On Friday, the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 Conservative majority, struck down the tariffs, which could pose major financial consequences for the [...]
Economy bogged down by low-performing firms February 23, 2026 The UK economy is suffering from an ever-lengthening tail of low productivity businesses, according to a new report from BCG. Between 1997 and 2023, the number of firms below the 25th productivity percentile nearly doubled, rising from 444,500 to 873,000, while the total number of firms increased by 70 per cent. At the other end [...]