Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs May 5, 2026 The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
Kemi Badenoch interview: ‘I want an economic revolution’ May 5, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has told City AM she wants to deliver “an economic revolution” in the UK, based on lower taxes, less government intervention and “a mindset shift” that puts businesses and the City at the heart of the growth agenda. Speaking ahead of this week’s local elections, the Tory leader says she is developing policies [...]
‘Politically toxic’ holiday tax could turn voters against Labour, hospitality leaders warn May 4, 2026 The “politically toxic” holiday tax could turn hordes of voters against Labour if it is pushed through, hospitality leaders have warned the government. The proposed tax could threaten the fragile majorities of a host of Labour big beasts including health secretary Wes Streeting and foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, trade body UK Hospitality (UKH) has claimed. [...]
Donald Tusk says Nato is falling apart May 2, 2026 Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk has said Nato is suffering from an “ongoing disintegration” amid pressures on governments to increase defence spending. In a post on X, the former EU council president indicated a war of words between President Trump and Chancellor Merz of Germany, which led to the US taking 5,000 soldiers out of [...]
BP eyes North Sea exit as tax load bites May 2, 2026 BP is reportedly eyeing a potential exit from the North Sea as the tax load on energy companies seems unlikely to be eased with the Iran war. The UK oil giant is considering either ceasing or partially winding down operations in the North Sea, according to Bloomberg, as part of an effort to strip assets [...]
Bond market alert: Burnham and Streeting turn up leader rumours May 2, 2026 Bond markets are on alert as fresh reports have suggested that Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and health secretary Wes Streeting are preparing leadership bids. City bank and analysts at the likes of Deutsche Bank and Jefferies have flagged the risks of a change in leadership and the potential for looser fiscal rules. Deutsche Bank’s Sanjay [...]
Pension industry 1-0 Torsten Bell April 30, 2026 We should be grateful that the absurd idea of a government-imposed cap on rent died less than 24 hours after it first reared its head, but another madcap Treasury scheme took far longer to bite the dust. The government’s Pensions Schemes Act (which passed into law yesterday) contained plenty of sensible and interesting measures, including [...]
Small business tax rule changes will not boost Exchequer coffers, top accounting firm argues April 30, 2026 A leading accountancy and advisory firm has sounded the alarm over a consultation by HMRC into tax rules for small businesses, arguing it will not close the tax gap and would leave firms tangled in even more red tape. Blick Rothenberg argued that the current HMRC consultation into so-called close companies, which have fewer than [...]
End of deadlock: Pension Schemes Bill to become law as government backs down April 29, 2026 The Pension Schemes Bill is set to become law after the House of Lords agreed to final watering down plans from the government, ending the long-standing deadlock between the two houses. The legislation had run into multiple walls amid consistent back and forth between the lower and upper house, after neither side refused to back [...]
Rent controls: The left hand doesn’t know what the far-left hand is doing April 29, 2026 For just under 24 hours the residential landlord sector was seized by panic following reports that first appeared on Monday night that the Chancellor was preparing to impose a ‘temporary’ ban on rent increases. The policy of rent controls was hitherto the preserve of the Green Party and Labour’s loony left, but then came reports [...]