TikTok US ban threat finally comes to an end October 27, 2025 After nearly five years of court battles and geopolitical wrangling, Beijing and the White House might finally be on the verge of ending a major tech standoff. The US treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced on Sunday that China and the US have “finalised the details” of a deal that would relocate TikTok’s American operations to [...]
Smuggling gangs likely to capitalise on tobacco bill, experts say October 27, 2025 As the Lords debate Labour’s tobacco and vapes Bill, experts have warned it could hand a major victory to the same organised criminal gangs behind illegal smuggling. Labour’s proposed Bill, which started the committee stage at the House of Lords on Monday, would create a generational ban on tobacco sales and implement stricter regulations on [...]
Rachel Reeves alerts top investors on tax rises and spending cuts October 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sent a message to international investors on incoming tax hikes and spending cuts in an effort to ease market nerves ahead of this year’s Budget. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative – or ‘Davos in the Desert’ – in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Reeves prepared investors for a more difficult Budget next [...]
Left-wing think tank urges Labour to amend Employment Rights Bill October 27, 2025 A left-leaning economics think tank that was the former workplace of Treasury ministers has called for a major change to be made to Labour’s flagship Employment Rights Bill in a last-ditch demand before workers’ rights are written into law. The Resolution Foundation, which was formerly led by Budget mastermind Torsten Bell, has called for a [...]
Looking for Growth? Look no further. October 27, 2025 The fury online is palpable, high-fliers feel undervalued, and ‘Britain is Broken’ has become the ridiculing punchline enjoyed by American crypto traders and digital nomads. Here though, at a mini arena in Greenwich on a Thursday night, Looking for Growth – LFG – is not a lost cause. Some attendees are unsure exactly what they [...]
Income tax raid tops Brits’ list of Budget fears October 27, 2025 Brits are more fearful of an income tax raid at the Budget than a rise in VAT or stricter rules on inheritance, a survey has found, with mounting speculation now weighing on people up and down the country. Rachel Reeves has signalled that she will raise taxes next month despite saying last year she would [...]
Streeting: Labour needs to counter ‘growing sense of despair’ October 26, 2025 The British public have a sense of despair about the way the country is run and Labour must demonstrate it can deliver in office, Wes Streeting has said. The health secretary conceded Sir Keir Starmer’s government has not told a “compelling enough story” about its achievements, and acknowledged people were not yet feeling the change [...]
Rishi Sunak: Tax rises at Autumn budget would crush confidence October 26, 2025 Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves that she must cut spending at the next budget or risk economic disaster. Writing in his inaugural column for the Sunday Times, Sunak said that Reeves faces a “simple choice: spending cuts or tax rises.” “If the chancellor opts for the latter, it will crush [...]
Lucy Powell becomes Labour’s deputy leader October 25, 2025 Lucy Powell, the former House of Commons leader who was kicked out of the government in a ministerial reshuffle last month, has been elected Labour’s deputy leader. Powell beat education secretary Bridget Phillipson in the contest as she received 87,407 votes. Phillipson received 73,536 votes in the election, representing 46 per cent of the voter [...]
Reeves ‘to raise national living wage’ in extra burden for firms October 25, 2025 Rachel Reeves is set to confirm a rise in the National Living Wage by four per cent at the Budget, according to reports, in an electorally popular decision that could have severe implications for businesses and the wider UK economy. Businesses have repeatedly warned that the double cost of last year’s tax raid on employers’ [...]