‘War on wealth creation’: capital gains tax raid would lose government money, Tories argue Politics A fresh capital gains tax raid on Britain’s wealthiest would ultimately lose the government money, according to new Conservative analysis of Treasury data. Internal government modelling suggests that the top rate of capital gains tax (CGT) is already too high and hiking it further would lead to lower tax receipts. Figures presented to the Labour [...]
The real scrutiny of Burnham begins now Opinion Burnham's honeymood period has been further bolstered by positive economic news. As Parliament returns, now is the time for bold moves.
Mike Ashley slams Burnham’s ‘populist’ plans to revive high street Retail Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has blasted Andy Burnham’s proposals to revive the British high street as “populist” and “too little too late”. The billionaire Sports Direct and Frasers Group founder has written to the Prime Minister accusing him of failing to tackle the cost of living with “delusional” policies. The causes of the UK’s rising [...]
Neets dip below one million as Labour blamed for youth unemployment August 27, 2026 The number of Neets, who are young people not in employment, education or training, has fallen marginally below the one million mark, the UK’s official data body said. The Office for National Statistics said it estimated the number of people aged between 16 and 24 out of work to be about 981,000 in the three [...]
Burnham pledges to tackle ‘cost of business’ as firms fear Budget tax raid August 26, 2026 Andy Burnham has pledged to help tackle the “cost of business” as he looks to head off fears that the private sector will be hit with another punishing tax raid at the Budget. Burnham said he wants to “make life easier” for people and businesses as he prepares for his first Budget under the new [...]
Lloyds and Natwest flaunt social credentials as fears grow of Burnham tax grab August 26, 2026 Lloyds and Natwest are flaunting their community credentials and pledging a raft of new social investment initiatives as fears grow that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will launch a punishing tax raid on the sector with the government’s first Budget. The two lenders are among a group of top UK banks looking to prove they can [...]
Pensioners to hand over bank statements in government benefits crackdown August 26, 2026 Pensioners will have to hand over their bank statements to the government as part of its crackdown on the ballooning benefits system. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is preparing to inform pensioners they will need to provide bank statements as part of its review into Pension Credit claims, I News first reported. The [...]
‘We’d love an apprentice – but the government has made it too expensive’ August 26, 2026 Small companies around Britain are facing a cost of business crisis. Bowers & Jones, an award-winning manufacturing firm, tells City AM that changes to the minimum wage have priced it out of employing apprentices. When Jane Somerville led a management buyout of her manufacturing firm and shifted its entire factory across the West Midlands in [...]
State pension set to pile pain on next generation of taxpayers, Healey warned August 26, 2026 The state pension is set to be the main driver of tax for the next generation of taxpayers, a Labour-linked think tank has warned in a paper that urged Chancellor John Healey to levy higher charges on wealth rather than income. New research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the former employer of [...]
Jenrick pledges reform for small businesses August 25, 2026 Reform UK’s economics chief Robert Jenrick has billed a package of tax and red tape reforms for small businesses as the “biggest plan” presented in a decade. A week before the party’s conference in Birmingham, Jenrick has hailed a number of flagship policies designed to appeal to bosses employing fewer than 50 employees. The party [...]