Labour will learn to love deregulation September 29, 2026 The Labour government I served in made advances in planning reform and curbing regulator overreach. But those efforts should be seen as a first step, not job done. Not least because there is barely a great progressive cause that does not now require deregulation to advance, says Alan Lockey Warm words for business are a [...]
Burnham to pledge greater control of water and energy industries September 28, 2026 Andy Burnham will double down on plans to seize greater public control of the water, energy and transport industries tomorrow as he pledges to “break with the flawed thinking of the past 40 years”. In his first speech to Labour’s conference as Prime Minister, Burnham is expected to say Britain is currently “run for vested [...]
Healey: We don’t have as much money as we did under New Labour September 28, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has warned Labour members that the government does not have available funds to spend more on public services. In his address to party activists, Healey said Tony Blair’s government in the late 1990s and early 2000s had more flexibility with public finances given higher growth rates and lower amounts of debt. The [...]
‘Uncharted territory’: UK economy facing shocks as diesel and borrowing costs surge September 28, 2026 The UK economy entered “uncharted territory” on Monday battling an assortment of financial pressures as fears intensified ahead of the next Budget. Diesel costs surged to a record high of 199.18p per litre marking the latest energy shock on the UK economy. Stations were registered as charging 199.18p per litre, according to the RAC. The [...]
Revolut and Monzo urge Healey to raise bank tax threshold September 28, 2026 Revolut, Monzo and Shawbrook are among a raft of challenger banks calling for John Healey to raise the threshold at which UK lenders are hit with an additional tax grab. The group – which also includes Investec, Aldemore and OSB – have written to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget in a bid to remove [...]
Aldi says rival supermarkets pushing up prices as shoppers feel pinch September 28, 2026 The boss of discount grocer Aldi has accused its rivals of driving growth by raising food prices, as the supermarket committed to fending off “persistent” price inflation. Giles Hurley, chief executive of the UK’s fourth-biggest supermarket, hit out at the grocer’s competitors, insisting that Aldi is the only operator whose prices have fallen year-on-year. He [...]
London to make up ‘more than half’ of new UK banking jobs September 28, 2026 London will make up more than half of all new banking jobs in the UK, new data has indicated, as the likes of JP Morgan and Barclays are set to bring a recovery in hiring levels. Data compiled by the recruitment firm Morgan McKinley has suggested that UK banking vacancies are set to rise by [...]
Chancellor’s ‘new age of industrialisation’ claim raises eyebrows in the City September 28, 2026 Chancellor John Healey will make upgrades to the Royal Navy central to his flagship speech at the Labour Party conference on Tuesday as he promised a “new age of industrialisation’. The former defence secretary has indicated that shipbuilding will make a key part of Andy Burnham’s pledge to revive Britain’s industrial base across the country. [...]
UK has ‘low capital gains tax rates’, Healey says September 27, 2026 The UK enjoys the lowest capital gains tax rate of any major European economy, Chancellor John Healey has said, raising the prospect of another hike at the Budget. Healey has said he wanted to improve the UK’s economic fortunes yet pointed to the UK’s competitiveness on capital taxes when speaking about business confidence. He told [...]
‘Last days of the honeymoon’: Anxious bosses prepare charm offensive at Labour conference September 25, 2026 Ahead of the Labour Party Conference on Sunday, and one month away from the Budget, businesses are feeling nervous, write Mauricio Alencar and Felix Armstrong Stepping onto an early-morning Avanti West Coast train from London Euston is now a familiar feeling for the Prime Minister. Andy Burnham is set to make the journey more regularly [...]