Chancellor Rachel Reeves denies misleading public over finances before Budget November 30, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denied misleading the public over UK finances before the Budget, stating she “was very upfront” about the need to find more money, despite not mentioning £4.2bn surplus. The Chancellor has found herself in the firing line since Wednesday’s crunch Budget, as she faces increasing questions from opposition figures over claims she [...]
Reeves accused of misleading country over ‘black hole’ in public finances November 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves is in the firing line for “misleading the country” after the chair of the fiscal watchdog poured cold water over claims there was a black hole in public finances. In a new letter addressed to the chair of the Treasury select committee, the OBR chair Richard Hughes said he was taking the “unusual [...]
Asda boss bashes Budget as sales continue to drop November 28, 2025 Asda boss Allen Leighton has hit out at the Autumn Budget as anti-growth and anti-investment as sales as the supermarket giant stumbled due to an IT handover. The executive chairman said Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget “didn’t do anything for anybody” and that “there’s nothing the government is doing that is stimulating growth”. Speaking to City AM [...]
‘We’ve been lied to’: Hospitality in uproar over business rates overhaul November 28, 2025 A 5p reduction in business rates for hospitality and retail was held up by the Chancellor as a sign the government was listening to their concerns. But – writes Ali Lyon – as business owners calculated what it meant for their bottom line, they discovered that the devil was in the detail. It was supposed [...]
Reeves’ Budget tax hikes stopping Monsoon owner’s growth November 28, 2025 The owner of Monsoon and Accessorize has warned the tax rises introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves are forcing it to stop investing in its growth. Adena Brands, which is owned by Peter Simon, is “focusing on reducing our cost base over investing in growth” until it sees signs of strengthening consumer demand. The business added [...]
Reeves to rush pension tax raid into law to calm nervous markets November 28, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to rush through laws to enact her Budget, in a bid to reassure nervous markets that tax increases will be implemented even if they are not set to take effect for several years. Legislation to raise tax on pension contributions made through salary sacrifice schemes is expected to be introduced before Christmas, according [...]
Salary sacrifice cap will hit ordinary earners hardest, research finds November 28, 2025 Reeves’ crunch Budget measures ranged from freezing income tax thresholds to fresh levies on milkshakes and lattes as she sought to lower the UK’s fiscal headroom. But it was her decision to rip up the salary sacrifice scheme that sparked the largest reaction from employers and employees alike. Under the most popular form of salary [...]
British founders dodged an exit tax – and bagged a few wins instead November 27, 2025 Startup founders went into this week’s Budget in a state of quasi-panic. Rumours of a so-called ‘exit tax’ on wealthy individuals, fuelled by weeks of speculation, sparked fears that Britain was about to hurt its own ecosystem. Far from taxing entrepreneurs on the way out, Rachel Reeves used her second Autumn Budget statement to shower [...]
Mansion tax is an ‘assault’ on London’s property market November 27, 2025 The UK’s new ‘mansion tax’ is set to hit homeowners in London hard, particularly for middle-class Londoners who have seen the price of their property balloon in the last two decades. Chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced a new high-value council tax surcharge for owners of properties valued at over £2m in her second Budget on Wednesday. [...]
Reeves criticised over lack of action on ballooning clinical negligence costs in Budget November 27, 2025 A leading medical defence organisation has criticised the Chancellor for missing the opportunity to tackle the ‘eye-watering’ NHS clinical negligence bill. In a statement following the Budget, Tom Reynolds, director of policy and communications at Medical Defence Union (MDU), explained that the “current system has led to legal fees ballooning to nearly four times the [...]