Death, taxes and family feuds: Why the UK’s courts are flooded with inheritance tax disputes June 17, 2025 With the rising cost of living, more and more people are relying on inheritance for their financial stability – and much more willing to go to court over a will, says Scott Taylor In an unsettling new trend, approximately 40 per cent of British adults are willing to consider challenging a will in court if [...]
Welfare, debt and the NHS: Our public finances are on the road to ruin June 17, 2025 Portugal is a fine country with plenty going for it, as an increasing number of Brits seem to be discovering. Just under 50,000 people moved there from the UK in 2023/34, up from 45,000 the previous year. These expats may or may not be aware that the country they’ve moved to (well-functioning, democratic, competitive and [...]
Are Brexit Britain and Carney’s Canada a dream match? June 17, 2025 As Carney balances political principles with market realities, post-tariff Canada could learn from Brexit Britain, writes Michael Martins.
Liquid Glass launch shows Apple is cautious on AI June 17, 2025 Apple's headline 'liquid glass' announcement at WWDC shows the tech company is deliberately cautious on AI, writes Paul Armstrong.
Britain can’t afford to spend £24,000 on every adult June 17, 2025 The UK is on track to spend £1.5 trillion per year, with much of the increase driven by debt interest, health and welfare costs, says Emma Revell Back in 2021, my colleagues at the Centre for Policy Studies think tank published an extraordinary briefing. It showed that by 2025/26, the British state was set to [...]
The productivity puzzle: Why Britain has plenty of capital but no capital spending June 17, 2025 Despite holding £1.9 trillion in financial wealth, the UK has failed to invest in its future, leaving a generation stuck with 20-year-old productivity and pay, say Andrew Allum and Jack Duckworth When Warren Buffett announced his retirement last month, he had created many billions, and many memorable quotes such as “Someone’s sitting in the shade [...]
Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is bad news for Britain June 17, 2025 A hidden clause in Trump’s latest bill could slap UK investors with steep new taxes, threatening transatlantic capital flows and global economic cooperation, says Matthew Bowles United States President Donald Trump’s latest legislative behemoth has sent shockwaves through Washington. Dubbed “a disgusting abomination” by Elon Musk and greeted with scepticism by Republican Kentucky Senator, Rand [...]
Happy birthday Adam Smith, your ideas are still fresh at 302 June 16, 2025 On the 302nd anniversary of Adam Smith’s baptism, his enduring insights into free trade and the folly of protectionism remain a powerful rebuttal to today’s rising economic nationalism, says Eliot Wilson Three hundred and two years ago today, in 1723, in the Old Kirk in Kirkcaldy, a baby was baptised. His precise date of birth [...]
Businesses can support working parents and boost their bottom line too June 16, 2025 The spiralling cost of childcare – particularly in the critical early years – is harming productivity and worker retention. Businesses can step up and feel the benefits, says Tim Pemberton British business leaders are rightly focused on productivity, workforce resilience and long-term growth. Yet, there’s a structural issue hiding in plain sight that directly threatens [...]
Pension and ISA reform can reverse London’s stock market malaise June 16, 2025 London must back ambition to reverse our stock market malaise, but pension and ISA reform may be the first step, writes Alastair King.