Business leaders bemoan Budget uncertainty as tax hikes loom November 13, 2025 Business leaders up and down the country have poured scorn on the Chancellor after months of Budget uncertainty damaged consumer confidence and forced firms to hold off key investment decisions. Scores of chief executives, from retail to hospitality to telecoms and manufacturing, have voiced their concern over the lack of a clear fiscal plan after [...]
Housing market slump ‘compounded’ by Budget fears November 13, 2025 The housing market suffered from a six-month low in demand amid caution from consumers ahead of the upcoming Budget, a survey has shown. Buyer demand, sales activity and new instructions fell into negative territory over October in a monthly survey conducted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Property professionals blamed fears around the [...]
Starmer under fire over No 10 briefings against Streeting November 12, 2025 Keir Starmer attempted to distance himself from anonymous attacks made by senior Downing Street officials against health secretary Wes Streeting on Tuesday night, though he defended his “united team” working at Number 10. In an awkward Prime Minister’s Questions for Starmer, the Prime Minister said briefings against Cabinet ministers were “unacceptable”. He said he backed [...]
FTSE 100 closes in on 10,000 after outperforming US indices November 12, 2025 The FTSE 100 is inching a step closer to the magic 10,000 mark after almost a year of outperforming counterparts across the Atlantic. London’s blue-chip index rallied on the open before giving up some gains to settle on a broadly flat level. It follows two consecutive record closes with the City shrugging off bubbling tensions [...]
Motorpoint sold hundreds of cars using AI agent as profits jump November 12, 2025 Motorpoint has revealed it sold hundreds of cars using its new AI agent as the car dealer reported a jump in profits. Chief executive Mark Carpenter said the use of the agent allowed the London-listed firm to be more persistent with its sales strategy when human sales agents might have given up. “We’ve sold about [...]
Rachel Reeves mulls second booze tax hike November 12, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering an increase in taxes on alcohol in line with a higher reading of inflation in a repeat of last year’s Budget, according to reports. Reeves could hike duties by the retail prices index (RPI) inflation rate in a bid to raise more cash to fill an estimated £30bn fiscal hole [...]
Taylor Wimpey shares slump as boss blasts Budget uncertainty November 12, 2025 The boss of Taylor Wimpey has blamed weak market conditions that hit the firm’s bottom line on the uncertainty surrounding the forthcoming Budget. Jennie Daly, chief executive of the housebuilder, said: “Market conditions remain challenging, impacted by uncertainty ahead of the upcoming UK Budget and continued affordability pressures.” Shares in Taylor Wimpey were down over 3.5 [...]
Fuller’s boss hits out at ‘lack of clear plan’ from Chancellor amid Budget fears November 12, 2025 The boss of one of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at a “lack of clear plan” from the Chancellor as the hospitality sector braces for another round of tax rises at the forthcoming Budget. Simon Emeny, executive chair of Fuller’s, said the government needed “new ideas, new thinking” if it is to live [...]
Autumn Budget: How could Rachel Reeves change dividend tax rules? November 11, 2025 The Treasury has reportedly turned its attention to dividends as part of its efforts to fill up the public coffers in this month’s Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering raising dividend taxes on 26 November, a move that could potentially raise £1.5bn according to the Resolution Foundation think tank. The speculation comes as the Treasury [...]
UK investors withdraw from equities at record pace amid bubble and Budget fears November 11, 2025 UK investors have withdrawn from equities at a record pace amid investor nerves over soaring stock prices and a flurry of forthcoming tax hikes at the Budget. As much as £7.3bn was pulled from equity funds in the four months to the end of October, according to figures from Calastone, representing the largest outflow ever [...]