Mortgage approvals rise for third month in a row September 1, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases edged up in July, the third month in a row that has seen a rise, official data has shown. Money and credit statistics published by the Bank of England showed the housing market remains intact despite fears it might slump ahead of the Autumn Budget. The rise in approvals came [...]
Greene King landlords plea for Rachel Reeves to cut bills September 1, 2025 More than 600 Greene King landlords have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to lower taxes for pubs ahead of the Autumn Budget as the sector grapples with ever-rising costs. The hospitality industry has been vocal about the cost pressures it has been facing since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, with businesses facing surging energy, [...]
Torsten Bell: Who is the mastermind behind the 2025 Autumn Budget? August 28, 2025 When parliamentary candidates were revealed ahead of last year’s elections, Torsten Bell was one of the better-known names on Labour’s list. With his glaringly wonkish CV and swaggering way of talking up esoteric economic policies, he seemed primed to one day leave his mark on a Budget. According to the New Statesman, his opportunity to [...]
Retailers’ woes stretch into second day after bearish Deutsche note August 27, 2025 A sell-off affecting some of the UK’s largest retailers has extended into a second day, after an analyst warned the spectre of higher taxes in the Autumn Budget, a softening labour market and sticky inflation will dent consumers’ spending habits. Shares in AB Foods, Wickes and B&Q-owner Kingfisher all shed between one and 1.5 per [...]
Butlin’s boss: We’re not going to tax ourselves to success August 26, 2025 The chief executive of holiday park chain Butlin’s has hit out at Chancellor Rachel Reeves after saying increases taxes on businesses is not the way to improve the UK economy. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, Jon Hendry Pickup said the country is “not going to tax ourselves to success” [...]
Rachel Reeves’ stealth tax raid to slap extra £7,000 on high earners August 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves would force Britain’s high earners to face a mounting tax burden if she opts to extend the freeze on income tax thresholds in the autumn Budget. The Chancellor would slap an extra £7,000 in income tax on Brits earning over £100,000 if the freeze is maintained, analysis from wealth manager Rathbones reveals. An [...]
Rachel Reeves considers ‘mansion tax’ on homes above £1.5m August 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking at imposing capital gains tax on the sale of houses above £1.5m as she looks to fill a £40bn hole in the public finances. The change, which would likely happen at this year’s Autumn Budget, would see higher-rate taxpayers pay 24 per cent of the value of any gain they [...]
Inflation tops forecasts as food prices jump August 20, 2025 Inflation jumped in July, official data has suggested, creating a dilemma for Bank of England officials ahead of the central bank’s next policy meeting in September. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer price index (CPI) inflation hit 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to July, which is on par with the Bank [...]
Tax crackdown drives rise in compulsory liquidations August 19, 2025 Company directors are “feeling the impact” of HMRC’s crackdown on unpaid taxes as compulsory liquidations spiked by 11 per cent in the year to July 2025, official data has shown. More bosses wound up their businesses last month than had done so in June, with creditors’ voluntary liquidations still driving insolvencies across the UK. But [...]
Just how many non-doms are leaving the UK? August 19, 2025 Since the Chancellor announced her non-dom crackdown, advisers, campaign groups and economists have warned an exodus of wealthy foreigners is afoot. But after a report claimed that departures were less extreme than feared, Ali Lyon digs into the data. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Popularised by Mark Twain, the phrase describes people’s tendency [...]