Ministers are in denial over the Budget’s impact on jobs and growth November 28, 2024 Well, that didn’t last long. Barely 48 hours after the Chancellor told the CBI conference that the tax-hiking Budget was definitely a one-off, Keir Starmer declined to echo her comments and instead left the door wide open to another round of tax increases and borrowing. We ought to have some sympathy; no Prime Minister can [...]
Stellantis closure: UK carmakers face ‘global’ challenges, Reynolds warns November 27, 2024 UK carmakers are facing “global challenges”, Jonathan Reynolds has warned, in the wake of Vauxhall owner Stellantis announcing plans to close its Luton plant. The business secretary said issues in the industry amid the shift to electric vehicles weren’t limited to the firm and insisted ministers did “everything we possibly could” to avert closure. Dutch [...]
Starmer refuses to rule out further tax rises or more borrowing November 27, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out further tax rises or additional borrowing when challenged to repeat his Chancellor’s pledge not to “come back with more”. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch asked Starmer about Rachel Reeves’ words. She said: “At the Confederation [...]
Labour won’t fool businesses twice November 27, 2024 It’s becoming increasingly clear that trying to explain the value of private enterprise to Marxists is an exercise in what Churchill described as feeding a crocodile, hoping it will eat you last, writes James Price As the great wordsmith George W Bush once said: “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me [...]
Employers warn of workers’ rights reform and Budget double whammy November 26, 2024 Businesses are concerned about the aggregate cost of changes to workers’ rights and the cumulative impact of Budget measures, MPs have been told. The committee of MPs scrutinising the Labour government’s employment rights legislation took evidence from business groups, industry representatives and trade unions on Tuesday. And they were warned the combination of reforms to [...]
MPs to vote on smoking ban bill and ‘harmful’ vape sales aimed at children November 26, 2024 MPs are to vote on a landmark smoking bill which would raise the legal tobacco purchasing age and clamp down on “harmful” childhood vaping. Parliament will have its first debate on the measures in the proposed new law, followed by a vote in the House of Commons later today, in what’s known as the ‘second [...]
Unemployment hotspots to get more NHS funding under new back to work plan November 26, 2024 Places with the highest levels of joblessness will get extra NHS support as the government bids to “get Britain working again”. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall will announce the plans today as part of wide-ranging reforms designed to tackle economic inactivity and deliver the government’s promise to bring more than two million people back [...]
Reeves played fast and loose with business leaders’ trust November 26, 2024 Not long ago, Rachel Reeves would have been right at home in a room full of business leaders and employers. During the election campaign it was comfortable territory for the aspiring Chancellor who reassured the private sector at every turn that Labour would be “the most pro-business government the country has ever seen.” Now, just [...]
McVitie’s biscuits boss dunks on UK as investment destination November 25, 2024 The boss of the company behind biscuit giants McVitie’s, Jacobs and Carr’s has warned that the UK has become a less attractive place to invest. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s annual conference on Monday, Salman Amin, the chief executive of Pladis, the firm behind the iconic brands, warned that Britain has become [...]
‘We’ve made our decisions’- Don’t expect Budget rethink, Reeves implies November 25, 2024 Rachel Reeves has implied she won’t rethink her Budget measures in the wake of backlash from business, saying: “We’ve made our decisions.” The Chancellor appeared at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s annual conference on Monday in a fireside chat with Keith Anderson, the chief executive of Scottish Power. She was asked by ITV about [...]