Rachel Reeves warned ‘dysfunctional’ fiscal rules are hammering economy Economics Rachel Reeves has been dealt a scathing assessment of her economic policy by a top think tank, which likened her approach to a driver who was “watching the speedometer” while ignoring other conditions. The Chancellor is facing calls to scrap the self-imposed fiscal rules that prevent her from borrowing to pay for day-to-day spending and [...]
Retail sales slow as Budget and inflation weigh on spending plans Retail Retail spending slowed in September, as a tax raising Budget and higher household inflation expectations forced Brits to tighten their belts before the all-important ‘Golden Quarter’. Total retail sales in September increased by 2.3 per cent year on year, down from the 3.1 per cent that the sector notched up in August and the 2.5 [...]
What will Rachel Reeves’ budget pay for and where will the money come from? Economics Rachel Reeves’ November budget is fast approaching, and steep tax rises are once again on the cards. Speaking at Labour conference last month, the Chancellor hinted at tax hikes by warning that she will be forced into “harder choices” by “harsh global headwinds”. To balance the books in accordance with her much-discussed fiscal rules, Reeves [...]
Budget: Tax hikes loom for Britain’s wealthiest September 25, 2025 Wealthy Brits are bracing themselves for a raft of tax rises in the looming Autumn Budget, prompting many to scramble to protect their wealth. According to the latest Saltus wealth index, nearly 80 per cent of high net work wealthy individuals (HNWIs) expect Labour to impose further tax rises in the next 12 months. While [...]
Rachel Reeves’ stealth tax raid to slap extra £7,000 on high earners August 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves would force Britain’s high earners to face a mounting tax burden if she opts to extend the freeze on income tax thresholds in the autumn Budget. The Chancellor would slap an extra £7,000 in income tax on Brits earning over £100,000 if the freeze is maintained, analysis from wealth manager Rathbones reveals. An [...]
Third sector warns wealth tax will hit philanthropy July 11, 2025 A wealth tax of the sort reportedly being considered by the government would leave a multibillion-pound hole in charities’ finances and jeopardise the work they are able to carry out, third sector bosses and economists have warned. According to John Canady, chief executive of the National Philanthropic Trust UK, the rumoured levy targeted at households [...]
Spending Review: Gilt yields dip in relief for Rachel Reeves June 11, 2025 Gilt yields fell in the minutes following the publication of the government’s Spending Review, paring back earlier rises and raising hopes the Chancellor had placated markets over her splurge on infrastructure, energy and healthcare spending. The 10-year UK government bond yield nudged down from 4.61 per cent to 4.55 per cent after the Spending Review [...]
Spending Review: Reeves splashes cash across transport, healthcare and energy June 11, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted her fiscal rules are “non-negotiable” as the Chancellor splurged on transport, tech and energy investment in her Spending Review, paving the way for further tax hikes in the autumn. Reeves said she made “the choices necessary to fix the foundations of our economy” accusing the previous government of leaving a “£22bn [...]
Rachel Reeves may have to ‘revisit’ manifesto tax pledges to meet fiscal rules, economists warn June 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves may have to tear up Labour’s manifesto tax commitments to meet her tight fiscal rules, economists have warned, as the Chancellor battles to balance the books amid calls for higher spending on defence and welfare. A suite of new day-to-day spending commitments made by the Treasury in recent weeks, including reversing cuts to [...]
Will the Bank of England’s quantitative tightening torpedo Reeves’ fiscal rules? June 5, 2025 Rachel Reeves is in a pickle. At under £10bn, the Chancellor’s self-imposed fiscal headroom – the Treasury’s wiggle room within its fiscal rules – is already wafer-thin by historic standards. And it is under intense strain, given a recent slew of billion-pound government spending pledges such as reversing winter fuel payments cuts and scrapping the [...]