‘Broken promises’: Burnham under fire on cost-of-living plans as energy bills set to surge August 26, 2026 Andy Burnham is facing pressure over his commitment to tackle the cost-of-living crisis as energy bills are set to jump again. Opposition figures have accused the Prime Minister of breaking Labour’s pledge to cut household energy bills, with one Tory figure dubbing the price hike “outrageous”. The price cap on bills is set to rise [...]
State pension set to pile pain on next generation of taxpayers, Healey warned August 26, 2026 The state pension is set to be the main driver of tax for the next generation of taxpayers, a Labour-linked think tank has warned in a paper that urged Chancellor John Healey to levy higher charges on wealth rather than income. New research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the former employer of [...]
Jenrick pledges reform for small businesses August 25, 2026 Reform UK’s economics chief Robert Jenrick has billed a package of tax and red tape reforms for small businesses as the “biggest plan” presented in a decade. A week before the party’s conference in Birmingham, Jenrick has hailed a number of flagship policies designed to appeal to bosses employing fewer than 50 employees. The party [...]
City leaders weigh employment policy alternatives to non-competes August 25, 2026 City businesses are expecting non-compete agreements to become less effective, looking instead to alternatives such as deferred bonus payments or share incentive plans to keep employees on board. In 2025, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) launched a consultation to consider restrictions on non-compete clauses in employment contracts. The consultation closed for feedback in [...]
Burnham shelves Thames Water administration plans over costs August 25, 2026 Andy Burnham has paused plans to take public control of Thames Water over fears that it could saddle the taxpayer with a bill running into the billions of pounds. The Prime Minister had been considering putting the struggling utility into a special administration regime (SAR), which would allow the government to take partial control of [...]
Andy Burnham hints at tax rises in Autumn Budget August 25, 2026 Andy Burnham has suggested tax rises could be on the cards in the looming Autumn Budget, warning he “won’t be unrealistic” over the state of the public purse. The Prime Minister quickly pledged to give people “breathing space” and ease the cost of living after taking the keys to No.10 last month. But in fresh [...]
Top business group urges Healey to cut NICs to ‘solve Neets crisis’ August 25, 2026 One of Britain’s most influential business bodies has urged Chancellor John Healey to cut taxes for employers at the Budget in order to “solve” the crisis facing Neets, who are young people not in employment, education or training. In a report published on Tuesday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said Britain’s youth unemployment crisis [...]
Burnham to hand mayors power to overrule local councils’ planning decisions August 23, 2026 Andy Burnham will give mayors across the UK new powers to overrule planning decisions made by local councils and to greenlight large-scale developments. The prime minister will unveil proposals this week to give regional mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, and the West Midlands, powers to take over planning decisions as well as direct [...]
Lord O’Neill declines job in Burnham government August 21, 2026 Former Goldman Sachs executive and Tory Treasury minister Lord Jim O’Neill has declined a job in Andy Burnham’s government, in a blow to the Prime Minister as he looks to woo business ahead of the Budget. O’Neill served as an informal economic adviser to Burnham before his election as Labour leader and had been in [...]
UK economy’s rebound fails to stem two years of mass job losses August 21, 2026 A rebound in the UK economy over August has failed to turn around the country’s flagging labour market after nearly two years of job losses, new estimates have shown. Data tracked by S&P Global suggested the UK’s private sector grew at the fastest pace in four months in August despite concerns around business costs and [...]