Labour will regret the Renters’ Rights Act May 1, 2026 There were celebrations across the Labour frontbench as the Renters’ Rights Act came into force today. That won't last for long, writes Ben Hopkinson.
UK manufacturing at four-year high but costs rise at pandemic pace May 1, 2026 The UK manufacturing sector broke to a four-year record in April but the constraints triggered by the Iran war threatened to upend growth prospects. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global put the industry’s reading at 53.7 – its best since May 2022. This marked its sixth consecutive month above the neutral 50.0 [...]
Lloyds shares upgraded to ‘Buy’ after interest rates tailwind April 30, 2026 Analysts at UBS slapped a ‘Buy’ rating on shares in Lloyds Banking Group as the financial services giant looks to receive a bump to its bottom line from the elevated interest rate path. Jason Napier, analyst at UBS, said: “Given the tailwinds from rate hedges… we see strong future momentum in profits as a relatively [...]
Astrazeneca ploughs £300m into UK in surprise U-turn April 29, 2026 British drugs giant Astrazeneca has promised to plough £300m into its UK operations, just months after cancelling a nine-figure investment in a new lab after getting in a spat with the UK government over drug pricing. In a stunning volte-face, the UK’s largest pharmaceutical company said it would revive its £200m investment into a megalab [...]
Number of top rate taxpayers surges as frozen thresholds squeeze Brits April 29, 2026 The number of higher and additional rate taxpayers in the UK has soared since the start of the decade as frozen thresholds have dragged nearly two million into paying higher rates of tax despite not being classified as traditional high-paid professionals. According to the latest personal income statistics from HMRC covering the 2023/24 tax year, [...]
Lloyds fires bank tax warning shot as industry ‘ripe for cash grab’ April 29, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group has warned the Treasury not to look at the banks for a tax raid as the industry sets its sights on booming profits in 2026. The FTSE 100 giant beat profit expectations by a cool £200m in the first-quarter after booking £2bn. This was also followed up by an upgrade to its [...]
UK set to suffer £35bn hit from Iran war as growth downgraded again April 29, 2026 The UK risks finding itself on the brink of recession as a result of the Iran war, a leading economics think tank has warned, as the potential damage to Rachel Reeves’ fiscal headroom and the threat of interest rates hikes has been laid bare in a new report. In what will come as dire reading [...]
Starmer blocks sleaze inquiry despite Tory and Labour pressure April 28, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has won a vote to block a parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled MPs over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite significant pressure from opposition parties and some Labour MPs. Labour backbenchers voted down a Tory motion to launch a so-called “sleaze inquiry” by the Privileges Committee [...]
‘Knife through my soul’: McSweeney, Starmer and Whitehall war over Mandelson saga April 28, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who pushed for Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, has said that further revelations over the disgraced peer’s links to Jeffrey Epstein were a “knife through my soul”. In a blockbuster appearance before the Foreign Affairs Committee, McSweeney apologised for urging the Prime Minister to appoint [...]
Government is not lacking in nuclear ambition – so why is nothing happening? April 27, 2026 If you were to go by ministerial speeches, nuclear is at the heart of Britain's energy ambitions. So why is nothing happening?