UK economy set to cool as weak consumer confidence damages spending December 1, 2025 The UK economy is expected to cool in 2026, as the softening labour market and subdued consumer confidence caused a drop in household spending. The economy is set to slow 1.0 per cent next year, down from 1.4 per cent in 2025, according to the latest economic outlook from professional services firm KPMG. Meanwhile, unemployment [...]
Lloyds to acquire London fintech in bid to grow digital offerings November 19, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group is acquiring London based fintech Curve, as it looks to boost its digital offerings and compete against popular challenger banks. Curve, which was founded in 2015, operates as a digital payment wallet which combines all debit and credit cards alongside alternative payment sources, such as cryptocurrency, onto a single platform. The platform [...]
Construction industry sheds workers at steepest rate in five years November 6, 2025 The UK’s construction industry suffered another crippling hit in October after the rate of job shedding hit its steepest level in just over five years. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed the sector had tumbled to 44.1 last month, down from 46.2 in September. This marks the tenth consecutive month the [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves must cure British ‘pessimism’ disease November 5, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of Peel Hunt urges Reeves to use the Budget to start the cure for British pessimism. As Rachel Reeves ruminates over which tax prescription to write to fill her fiscal black hole, [...]
Booming Manchester outshines ‘stagnant’ London November 4, 2025 Greater Manchester’s booming economy is outstripping the rest of the country and throwing into sharp relief the “stagnant” state London has found itself in since the 2008 financial crisis, according to a new report. As Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out the productivity challenges facing the UK ahead of the Budget, new analysis from Oxford Economics [...]
Autumn Budget could ‘exacerbate’ manufacturing challenges November 3, 2025 Fears that the UK manufacturing industry’s recovery could be “short-lived” have jumped as firms brace for a painful Autumn Budget. The latest S&P Global’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 49.7 in October, marking a 12-month high for the sector. But this remained stubbornly below the all-important 50.0 threshold, which indicates whether a [...]
The tax trap catching thousands of working pensioners October 30, 2025 Thousands of working pensioners found themselves ensnared in the income tax trap last year, as frozen thresholds yanked them into the higher tax bracket. According to a freedom of information request to HMRC by Interactive Investor, 77,000 pensioners found themselves paying 60 per cent income tax, up from just 34,000 three years ago. It was [...]
Nobel Prize winners’ message is clear: Excessive taxation inhibits growth October 22, 2025 This year's economics Nobel Prize winners make it clear that the UK's path of high taxation will destroy growth, writes Paul Ormerod.
Reeves’ tax grab could ‘wipe £4bn out of the stock market’ October 22, 2025 One of the UK’s leading trading platforms has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves that raising retail investor taxes could wipe billions off the stock market, undermining government attempts to boost domestic investing and strengthen the London market. According to research from trading platform IG, a two percentage point increase in both dividend and capital gains tax [...]
Lifetime ISA hands £1bn boost to Treasury coffers amid debate over purpose October 21, 2025 The Lifetime ISA has provided the Treasury with a significant fiscal boost each year since 2021, despite the government continuing to question whether it is ultimately fit for purpose. According to research from CBI Economics, commissioned by Moneybox, the Lifetime ISA (LISA) has delivered a net boost of £1bn to date for the government since [...]