Dire economy needs lifesaving surgery, before it’s too late April 24, 2025 When Rachel Reeves became Chancellor last summer, the biggest issue facing her was the existence (disputed by the Tories) of a £22bn black hole in the public finances. The political pain of cutting the winter fuel allowance was deemed necessary to balance the books and give the new government a clean sheet of paper on [...]
Bank of England asks lenders about clients’ stability as Reeves brands system ‘resilient’ April 8, 2025 The Bank of England has asked lenders about their clients’ financial well-being after Trump’s tariff onslaught triggered chaos across financial markets. The central bank asked firms for information about market liquidity and whether any of their clients were having funding problems, according to the Financial Times. The Prudential Regulation Authority, which is responsible for the [...]
Rachel Reeves approval rating one point above Trump with UK voters, poll finds April 7, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ approval ratings have slumped since March leaving her just one point more popular than US President Donald Trump with UK voters, a poll has found. The Chancellor’s net approval ratings have declined by 12 points since delivering her Spring Statement last month, leaving Reeves at net -43, just one point above Trump on [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes will cost me £1m – Hooch tycoon March 31, 2025 The founder of the alcoholic drinks empire behind the likes of Hooch and VK has warned the tax hikes announced by Rachel Reeves will cost him an extra £1m. Steve Perez, the boss of Derbyshire-headquartered Global Brands, added that the Chancellor has “stacked the odds” against businesses like his and that he has “no choice” [...]
UK won’t be ‘pressured’ to scrap digital services tax, says Reeves March 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted that Britain “won’t be pressured” into scrapping its digital services tax (DST), despite mounting pressure from the US. Despite her strong stance, Reeves did not make any formal announcements about the future of the DST in her Spring Statement. Yet, hot on the heels of her speech, she told The [...]
Analysis: Why Reeves faces political pressure over the Spring Statement March 25, 2025 Over the next 24 hours, Rachel Reeves will be putting the finishing touches to Wednesday’s Spring Statement. It marks her second fiscal event as Chancellor, and – despite the promised manifesto commitment of “one major fiscal event a year” – the economic backdrop, and wider political pressure, makes it hard to see the contents of [...]
Spring Statement won’t ‘alter basics’, Starmer insists, amid tax cuts reports March 24, 2025 The Spring Statement this week will not “alter the basics” of public spending plans, Sir Keir Starmer has insisted.
Treasury on the hunt for new National Wealth Fund boss March 19, 2025 The Treasury announced on Wednesday that it had begun searching for a new chief executive to lead the recently established National Wealth Fund. The policy bank’s current boss John Flint will exit the role this summer after overseeing the institution’s rebrand from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB). Flint, who is a former HSBC group chief [...]
UK markets being ‘gradually undermined’ by tax regime – Interactive Investor boss March 10, 2025 The current tax regime is making UK markets “just about tradable” and are leading to their “gradual undermining”, according to the chief executive of Interactive Investor*. Speaking in the latest episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Richard Wilson said his company has seen an increase in more investors trading in foreign markets instead of [...]
UK growth outlook slashed amid tax and trade ‘double whammy’ March 5, 2025 The Chancellor’s growth agenda was dealt a fresh blow on Thursday after the British Chambers of Commerce slashed its forecast for the UK economy due to the tax and trade “double whammy” afflicting UK businesses. The business group now expects the UK economy to grow by just 0.9 per cent in 2025, a hefty downgrade [...]