Budget 2026: Green levies stripped from energy bills October 28, 2026 John Healey will scrap green levies from energy bills and shift environmental funding into the wider tax base to minimise the impact of the Iran war on UK households. The Chancellor said on Wednesday he would axe the surcharge applied to energy bills “for good”, in what represents major shift of the government’s environmental agenda. [...]
Autumn Budget 2026: cash ISA U-turn is a backwards step for Britain’s investment future October 28, 2026 Protecting an incentive to keep money sitting in cash is a failure of ambition to stimulate growth, says Michael Healy Britain needs more investors, but the Chancellor has chosen to reward people for keeping their money in cash. His decision to protect the £20,000 Cash ISA allowance is a victory for the savings lobby and [...]
Budget 2026: Healey doubles bank tax to fund energy package October 28, 2026 John Healey has confirmed a “time limited” tax hike on the UK banking sector as a means to fund the government’s energy support package. The Chancellor will double the surcharge, which sits on top of corporation tax, to six per cent. The increase will begin in January and continue for 15 months. “I want to [...]
Healey’s cash Isa reversal plans spark City row October 28, 2026 John Healey’s reported plans to reverse the cut to the cash Isa ceiling in his maiden Budget have sparked a row across the City, as banks and brokers butt heads over the end of the controversial measure introduced by his predecessor. The Chancellor will end plans to lower the annual cash Isa limit from £20,000 [...]
Healey scraps ‘unfair’ standing charges from gas bills October 28, 2026 John Healey has said he will scrap “outdated and unfair” standing charges from gas bills, in a move which could save households £45 per year. The Chancellor said these fees – which are charged on top of the daily rate to cover the cost of connecting to a supply – are part of “an energy [...]
Firms forced to give staff ‘government approved’ advice on joining a union October 28, 2026 Businesses will be forced to tell their staff how to join a union at least once a year under fresh plans drawn up by the government to boost participation in organised labour. The government has decided the rules, due to come into force at the start of next year, will apply to employers of all [...]
Protecting pensioners from income tax is unfair to workers October 28, 2026 As Chancellor John Healey prepares to raise the tax-free allowance for pensioners, exempting them from income tax while keeping working-age allowances frozen creates an unnecessary and unfair divide, says Matthew Bowles Today, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey will face the unenviable task of persuading the public that Britain’s finances add up. No matter how [...]
Autumn Budget 2026: five no-brainers to boost productivity October 28, 2026 Despite ongoing calls for radical tax and economic reforms to boost productivity, Chancellor John Healey is expected to deliver a cautious, low-key Budget, Tim Sarson You can tell it’s Budget season. The leaves are just starting to turn, Halloween goods fill the shops, and the corridor small talk from my colleagues has moved on from [...]
Iceland boss: Budget must show Labour is listening to business, not just managing decline October 28, 2026 The upcoming Budget must reject managed decline and instead foster a productivity revolution through investment incentives, skills support, and lower employment costs to help British business drive economic growth, says Lord Richard Walker I thought that working across the property, retail and leisure sectors had given me a wide perspective on business and the environment [...]
Budget 2026: Healey carves out political breathing space for Andy Burnham October 28, 2026 If John Healey’s looking for a political narrative to frame his Budget, perhaps he could borrow from AI behemoth Anthropic. The Claude-maker’s extraordinary IPO prospectus insists that for all the risks and uncertainty surrounding the technology and economics of AI, their approach will be “bold but sane.” In fact, the full quote is that “in [...]