Reeves’ tax raids crush business confidence – but worst is yet to come May 29, 2025 Business confidence plummeted in the three months to May as Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes took hold and firms have warned more pain is to come. Consumer services’ optimism marked its eight consecutive month of decline at -42 per cent, whilst levels of business value plunged to -56 per cent. This was down from -44 per [...]
Labour tax hikes drive steepest fall in retail sentiment since Covid May 27, 2025 British retailers’ confidence has made the steepest dive in five years, after facing pressures from Rachel Reeves’ £26bn employer tax raid and uncertainty sparked by Donald Trump’s trade war. The drop is the most severe since the Covid-19 pandemic paralysed the UK high street, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Grim sentiment in [...]
Taxes and tariffs combine to ‘drag business sentiment’ April 30, 2025 The double whammy of Rachel Reeves’ taxes and Donald Trump’s tariffs have dragged confidence in business volumes to their lowest level in more than two years, fresh data has found, further clouding prospects for the British economy. The UK has already suffered from lacklustre growth over the last few years as real GDP only expanded [...]
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 [...]
Don’t ask business to ‘shoulder more burden’, CBI chief urges March 19, 2025 The government should not “ask businesses to shoulder any more of a burden”, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) chief has warned in the wake of the welfare cuts. Work and pensions secretary Lilz Kendall announced on Tuesday a raft of welfare measures she said will help bring more working age people back into jobs. [...]
A win on the world stage masks mounting trouble at home March 4, 2025 Keir Starmer has won plaudits for his decision to increase defence spending (albeit by less than the amount he’s given Ed Miliband to run a pretend energy company) and voters appear to be firmly behind the PM’s decision to fund this modest splurge by raiding the international development budget. The latest City AM Freshwater Strategy [...]
Shadow Chancellor slams inheritance tax changes as an “absurdity” February 26, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has slammed proposed changes to business tax relief, saying that the policy will force many to “shut down or be forced to sell”. Stride’s comments echo those of prominent businesspeople and politicians who have been railing against the higher taxes announced in Labour’s budget for the last four months. “British institutions, [...]
‘Productivity argument’ against family firm tax breaks, IFS director argues February 25, 2025 There is a “productivity argument” against treating family businesses “generously”, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) director has argued, when asked about inheritance tax. Economist Paul Johnson addressed the National Farmers Union (NFU) conference in Westminster on Tuesday, which saw environment secretary Steve Reed’s speech interrupted by farming protestors, as well as NFU president Tom [...]
CBI boss warns Rachel Reeves’ farm tax will undermine growth push February 25, 2025 Speaking at the National Farmers' Union's (NFU) conference, Newton-Smith said there was no sector more "foundational" to the UK economy than farming.
Reform UK call for windfall tax on renewable energy in anti-net zero push February 12, 2025 Reform UK has said they would introduce a windfall tax on renewable energy as they announced they were “serving notice” on the industry. The party has detailed a set of “policies to undo the effects of net zero”, in the wake of a series of polls and voting intention surveys that saw it beat Labour [...]