Rolls-Royce, Babcock shares jump on Healey’s defence borrowing plan Markets Defence stocks were handed a boost on Monday morning following reports that Chancellor John Healey was set to borrow billions to invest in the military at the forthcoming Budget. Rolls-Royce was up nearly two per cent in early trading to 1,184.40p, while Melrose was up 1.4 per cent. Both are key players in aerospace and [...]
Healey pledges £1bn for social housing as housebuilding slump threatens Labour target Property John Healey has pledged more than £1bn in additional funding for social and affordable housing as new figures reveal a sharp fall in housebuilding, raising fresh doubts over the government’s target of delivering 1.5m homes. The funding, due to be confirmed in Wednesday’s Budget, will take the government’s 10-year social and affordable housing programme beyond [...]
Google, OpenAI and Anthropic back £100m UK AI biosecurity lab Tech Google Deepmind, OpenAI and Anthropic are backing a new £100m British AI biosecurity laboratory as the government unveils more than £600m in funding to tackle emerging technological threats. The lab will use AI to detect and monitor biological threats, bringing together some of the world’s largest AI developers as ministers seek to strengthen Britain’s defences. [...]
Healey to unveil billions in defence spending as Tories demand he resign October 25, 2026 John Healey is set to announce billions of pounds in new defence investment in Wednesday’s Budget as the Conservatives demand he resign unless he commits to spending three per cent of GDP on the military by 2030. The chancellor is expected to channel additional funding through the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank, backing [...]
Healey vows AI will not ‘leave workers behind’ in £600m Budget package October 24, 2026 John Healey has vowed not to let AI “leave workers behind” as he unveiled more than £600m in investment ahead of next week’s Budget, amid mounting concerns over AI-driven job losses. The Treasury will commit £10m a year to studying the impact of AI on employment, alongside hundreds of millions of pounds for cyber security, [...]
London launches £70m fund to back startups struggling to raise investment October 22, 2026 A new £70m fund backed by the Mayor of London and the British Business Bank has launched to help growing businesses struggling to secure finance from traditional lenders. The Future London Growth Fund, managed by investment firm FSE Group, will offer loans of between £1m and £3m to companies across London’s 32 boroughs and the [...]
Healey: I want to help bloody-minded founders October 22, 2026 John Healey has pledged to devote next week’s Budget to “bloody-minded entrepreneurs”, acknowledging small and fast-growing businesses have been “under pressure” from a barrage of fresh taxes and regulation. The Chancellor said he would clamp down on the “cost of business” as well as on the cost of living, promising to patch up relations with [...]
Badenoch urges Healey to avoid ‘fictional cuts’ October 20, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Chancellor John Healey to focus on urgently cutting spending and avoid making “fictional cuts” at the end of parliament. In a speech in London on Tuesday, Badenoch will warn that Labour’s deficit reduction plans rely on “huge cuts to the public sector in the final year of the spending [...]
John Healey rules out capital gains tax hike in Budget October 20, 2026 John Healey has squashed speculation he will raise capital gains tax in the forthcoming Budget after rejecting calls from his Cabinet colleagues. The Treasury was facing lobbying efforts from top ministers, including Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting, to raise the capital gains tax (CGT) rate from its current level of 24 per cent for higher [...]
Higher taxes will ‘kick UK fintech when it is down’, Healey warned October 19, 2026 Venture capital investors have warned that higher taxes on financial services would have trickle-down effects and “clip the wings” of Britain’s already capital-starved fintech sector. Start-up investors that fund the UK’s financial technology industry told City AM the sector’s struggles to access cash would be amplified by a tax hike on top banks and increases [...]