Construction firms lose hope but businesses are ‘showing resilience’ April 30, 2025 Construction firms have grown despondent about their business prospects despite signs of resilience across the UK economy, a new survey has found. The sector is key to the housing secretary Angela Rayner’s plans to build 1.5m homes by 2030 though early signs suggest the ambitious target will not be met. Construction saw a bigger drop [...]
Employment Rights Bill will ‘cut retail staff numbers’ April 29, 2025 Labour’s Employment Rights Bill will lead to job cuts and price hikes, a poll of 31 major retailers has found, in the latest sign the government’s legislative agenda risks harming economic growth. The legislation, which is nearing its final stages in Parliament, introduces sweeping changes to zero-hours contracts, sick pay, leave, flexible working and dismissal, [...]
Bankrupt, rat-infested Birmingham shows why local government matters April 23, 2025 With local elections across much of England, it’s time we took regional accountability much more seriously, says Simon Clarke Next Thursday, there are local elections across much of England. For many people, these events will pass them by entirely. For others, they will be purely an opportunity to send a message about national politics: it [...]
Week in Business: Labour’s jobs madness as employers urge change of plan April 17, 2025 Business Secretary Johnny Reynolds was so fed up with people criticising him for never having run a business that he bought himself a whopping great steel mill in Scunthorpe. Now firmly a member of the boss class, will he have sympathy with the business chiefs who this week begged the government to rip up their [...]
Business groups attack ‘deeply damaging’ employment reforms April 16, 2025 The UK’s five largest business groups have warned that the government’s flagship workers’ rights package will be “deeply damaging” to the UK’s growth prospects and will worsen living standards in the UK. In a co-ordinated effort, Britain’s ‘Big Five’ business groups have taken the unusual step of writing to all members of the House of [...]
Tax return: Keir Starmer paid more than £54,000 last year April 15, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has paid more than £54,000 in tax from 2023-2024, it has been revealed, as book royalties and interest on savings pushed the PM’s income into the top tax bracket. The Prime Minister, who published his tax return for the first time since Labour took power, paid £54,718 in tax, according to the [...]
British Steel: No 10 won’t rule out future Chinese involvement in steel making April 14, 2025 No 10 has declined to rule out future Chinese involvement in steel making, amid a race to keep the British Steel furnaces alight in Scunthorpe. The UK government has now said it is “confident” it will beat a race against time to keep the site running after taking control of the plant from Chinese owners [...]
Planning application for Cumbria coal mine dropped after legal setbacks April 5, 2025 The company behind a proposed development for the UK’s first coal mine in 30 years has withdrawn its planning application. The government confirmed on Friday that West Cumbria Mining (WCM) withdrew its application for the site near Whitehaven after years of legal and regulatory setbacks. Then-housing secretary Michael Gove first granted planning permission for the [...]
Construction output drops again despite Rayner’s planning reforms April 4, 2025 Construction activity has suffered a further decline and confidence is low despite minister Angela Rayner’s planning reforms getting a thumbs up from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Rayner’s Ministry of Housing is introducing broad changes to planning rules as it hopes to deliver the UK’s construction sector an extra boost. Its planning reforms have [...]
It’s Rayner to the rescue but who will build Labour’s 1.3m homes? April 2, 2025 Labour’s only hope for growth is new housebuilding – but Britain doesn’t have the workforce to deliver even the newly downgraded targets. There is an obvious solution, says Jamila Robertson In the Spring Statement, Rachel Reeves acknowledged that she will no longer be able to meet the government’s manifesto pledge to build 1.5m homes by [...]