Economists tell Rachel Reeves to target wealthy pensioners September 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves should target wealthy pensioners to ease pressures on the public purse and allow infrastructure investment pledges to be protected, top economists and former ministers have said. Former Cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell, ex Tory minister and Goldman Sachs executive Jim O’Neill, and top economists including Mariana Mazzucato have urged the government to “rebalance” [...]
Starmer’s new towns plans blasted for ‘lacking vision’ September 20, 2025 The Lords’ Built Environment Committee has criticised the government’s current vision for new towns, calling for a clearer and more community-focused strategy. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer plans to build up to 12 new towns across the UK, with each settlement having the potential for at least 10,000 homes. Work on the towns is expected [...]
‘Staggering’ – Public sector borrowing in August jumps to highest in five years September 19, 2025 Public sector borrowing in August has jumped to its highest level in five years, raising fears of huge tax hikes in the autumn to balance the books. Borrowing – the difference between total public sector spending and income – was £18bn in August 2025, £3.5bn more than last year and the highest since 2020, when [...]
Was this actually Starmer’s best week? September 18, 2025 £150bn of investment has been pledged by US giants, itching to pour their money into the UK – including more than £30bn to turbocharge our artificial intelligence base. The choreography was masterful, and I don’t just mean the military and Royal welcome dolled out to the Trumps and their entourage, although it was pretty spectacular. [...]
Starmer and Macron face a shared Waterloo September 18, 2025 Facing crippling national debt and a politically divided public, both Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have proved unable to implement necessary economic reforms, and both are heading for a downfall driven by market forces, says Helen Thomas A country gripped by the highest debt levels since the Second World War; an unpopular leader facing a [...]
Why is the pharmaceutical industry turning its back on the UK? September 18, 2025 Since coming into power last year, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have consistently stressed the importance of the life science sector to the UK economy, viewing it as critical for growth. In its aim to boost the industry’s standing, Labour pledged to make the UK an attractive place for investment and innovation, and to increase [...]
UK investors flock back to developed markets as economic fears ease September 17, 2025 Retail investors are regaining confidence in the UK and US markets as they lose patience with emerging markets performance. Over a third of UK retail investors view the domestic market as able to offer the strongest long-term opportunities, according to the latest research from investment platform eToro. The US economy’s improving performance has also lured [...]
Nvidia boss hails UK as “AI leader” amid fears of US reliance September 17, 2025 While investment numbers and GPU deals have made headlines, Jensen Huang’s recent comments on his £11bn UK investment reveal a far more ambitious vision than just building data centres. Beyond the chips and infrastructure, the Nvidia chief has framed AI as the ultimate economic tool to fight inflation and boost national productivity, a message that [...]
Britain has swapped the Brussels yoke for rule by Washington September 17, 2025 The problem for Keir Starmer during this state visit is that Donald Trump treats allies much worse than adversaries – and once he realised how needy Britain really is, things will get far worse, says Bruno Maçães In a recent interview, Keir Starmer expressed his disappointment that the Mandelson affair ended as badly as it [...]
Nvidia bets £11bn on UK AI with GPU deal, amid Trump state visit September 17, 2025 Nvidia is pumping up to £11bn into Britain’s AI ecosystem in a move that will see the UK host Europe’s largest GPU cluster by 2026, with 120,000 of its latest Blackwell Ultra chips deployed across new data centres. The investment, unveiled late on Tuesday and timed to coincide with President Donald Trump’s state visit to [...]