UK to slide down world rankings on GDP per capita by 2030, report finds Economics The UK is set to slip down the world rankings of GDP per capita by the end of the decade after being weighed down by “subpar” growth, a new report has said. The British economy will fall from its current rank of 19th to 21st next year and down further still to 22nd by 2030, [...]
Brits to spend half a year waiting for Tax Freedom Day after Labour tax hikes Tax Freedom Day is set to be on the latest ever date within a matter of years, fresh research has revealed, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves showing no signs of cutting taxes in the near future, given inflated spending. Reeves unveiled billions more cash to be injected into several departments at yesterday’s Spending Review while funding [...]
Firms delay tax payments as costs soar Economics Unpaid business tax liabilities are averaging as much as £28bn a month this year, official data has revealed, suggesting firms are struggling to keep up with mounting costs. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £40bn tax hikes last autumn, including rises to employers’ national insurance contributions, were designed to lift the public finances and reduce borrowing. But new [...]
One in ten Brits have no cash savings, City regulator says May 16, 2025 One in ten Brits do not have any cash savings, the City regulator has warned, concerning signs that hundreds of thousands of people could be unable to cover emergency bills. New research by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has also suggested that a fifth of people have less than £1,000 available to draw on The [...]
Investor visa floated to reverse exodus of millionaires May 15, 2025 Keir Starmer’s government is reportedly looking to introduce a special visa for foreign investors in an attempt to reverse the tide of millionaires leaving the UK. Officials are at the early stages of drawing up a visa which would provide an olive branch to wealthy businessmen keen to fund in areas such as artificial intelligence [...]
Small businesses ‘held back’ by £112bn of late payments May 14, 2025 Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are owed some £112bn in late payments, new research has suggested, with buyers “holding back” UK growth. Nearly 5.5m companies with fewer than 250 employees and modest revenues are seen as the “backbone” of the UK economy and key to unlocking growth. But new research by the Centre for Economics [...]
UK’s tech crown is slipping away March 27, 2025 The UK has slipped behind in the tech arms race, falling behind emerging tech heavyweights. A new global ranking has placed Britain as 13th overall for tech competitiveness, behind nations like Ireland, Singapore and Australia. Meanwhile, perhaps more alarmingly, no G7 nation – the group of the world’s most industrialised nations including the UK – [...]
Reynolds and economists warn of trade impact of US tariffs November 19, 2024 The business secretary has warned of a “significant moment for global trade” and predicted a “difficult conversation” with the US lies ahead, as economists predict a £20bn blow to Britain’s economy from Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Jonathan Reynolds warned the UK should avoid “speculating on how we should respond before there is something to respond [...]
UK pothole crisis costs £14.4bn every year from longer journey times and vehicle damage April 29, 2024 The bulk of the economic cost comes from longer journey times as nervous motorists attempt to limit the damage to their cars.
How work from home could be denting London’s GDP March 25, 2024 The new work-from-home era has inflated London’s GDP by over £8bn, as outdated measures of regional growth have warped official calculations. When adjusting for where people actually work from, rather than where their jobs are based on paper, the size of London’s economy falls by 1.4 per cent, data from Cebr has revealed. This pushes [...]