Explainer: What on Earth has the Bank of England done with its bond sale programme? September 18, 2026 The Bank of England chose to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent on Thursday. But its unexpected overhaul of quantitative tightening could be far more consequential, says Ali Lyon. On days when the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee decides the future of interest rates, that choice – and the thinking that goes into [...]
Mark my words: tax rises are coming September 18, 2026 After Rachel Reeves’ tax raids of over £40bn in her 2024 Budget and £26bn in the 2025 edition, it should be inconceivable that John Healey will come back for more. Yet all the sights point in that direction, says Emma Revell No City AM reader could be unaware that Britain’s current economic outlook is not [...]
Ignorance is no excuse for Labour’s economic failures September 18, 2026 John Healey is copying Rachel Reeves’ technique of gaslighting the nation into thinking he had no idea what the bind markets and OBR have been screaming at every fiscal event, says Tom Harwood It feels like “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher should have been irritatingly on repeat every morning this week. Why? [...]
Next boss Wolfson tells Healey: ‘You can’t spend your way out of a crisis’ September 17, 2026 Lord Wolfson, Next’s chief executive, has urged Chancellor John Healey to cut spending at next month’s Budget, warning, “you can’t spend your way out of a funding crisis”. The retail boss has urged the government to clamp down on spending, avoid further tax hikes and slash planning red tape to boost economic growth. He told [...]
Natwest chair: Boost investment in UK or risk ‘inter-generational crisis’ September 17, 2026 The chair of Natwest has warned the UK is in a “moment of national crisis” that can only be fixed by firing up investment in the country’s flagging economy. Rick Haythornthwaite, the City grandee who has also chaired the boards of Mastercard and Ocado, told City AM that years of political instability and poor decision-making [...]
Andrew Griffith tells Burnham to rule out Budget tax rises September 16, 2026 Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith will urge Labour to rule out further tax rises on businesses at next month’s Budget, as the Conservatives set out plans to cut the compliance burden facing small firms and the self-employed. In his first major speech since taking the role, Griffith will call on Andy Burnham and chancellor John Healey [...]
Burnham warns of ‘challenging’ Budget and hits back at ‘socialists with TikTok’ jibe September 16, 2026 Andy Burnham has warned Brits to expect a “challenging” Budget as he hit back at his former adviser for accusing him of being a “socialist with better TikToks”. Burnham’s comments will be interpreted as an indication that tax hikes will likely form part of October’s Budget, as his pledge to give households “breathing space” on [...]
Shadow Chancellor: 200,000 jobs have already been lost under Labour September 16, 2026 Labour’s economic policies are damaging the UK economy and driving up unemployment – only Conservatives can restore growth, says Andrew Griffith If the UK economy were a malfunctioning car, the dashboard would be lit up like a Christmas Tree. This morning’s labour market figures are the latest set of accounts for Labour’s economy, and I [...]
Healey urged to ‘restore faith’ by ending personal allowance freeze in Budget September 16, 2026 UK savers are demanding chancellor John Healey end the freeze on the personal allowance in his maiden Autumn Budget, as more Brits get dragged into higher tax bands. A recent poll showed nearly 70 per cent of taxpayers want Healey to unfreeze the personal allowance, with critics arguing it has forced workers and pensioners into [...]
Healey urged to drop ‘death tax’ holding back family businesses September 14, 2026 John Healey has been urged to drop a so-called “death tax” which business leaders say means family firms are losing out to overseas investors. The Chancellor has been told to unwind sweeping reforms to inheritance tax, made by his predecessor Rachel Reeves, which family businesses say undermine the government’s attempts to drive economic growth through [...]