If Andy Burnham really wants to help NEETs he should rule out tax rises July 29, 2026 Andy Burnham’s announcements on technical education are welcome, but they will be meaningless if young people have no jobs to move into. The Budget will be the real test of how he plans to grow the economy, says Georgiana Bristol Andy Burnham has descended from the North with an array of new pledges and spending [...]
Silly season is upon us but politics will get serious soon enough July 29, 2026 In May, Reform MP Danny Kruger unveiled a substantial piece of work “setting out Reform’s plans for the centre of government, shaped by the research of the Preparation for Government team.” His 5,000 word article went into huge detail about the structural changes his party intends to make to Whitehall and the machinery of government. [...]
Healey faces £24bn spending squeeze as inflation puts tax rises in play July 29, 2026 Chancellor John Healey is facing a £24bn real terms squeeze on the public purse due to higher inflation and will be forced to hike takes to fund the government’s spending plans, a top think tank has warned. Price growth will peak at 3.8 per cent early next year before a slow return to the Bank [...]
How can wealthy Scots save £46,000 on income tax? Commute from England July 28, 2026 Higher earners in Scotland could save more than £46,000 in income tax over five years by moving south of the border and commuting to work, according to a new analysis by Rathbones. The wealth management firm found that a resident earning £250,000 could pay £8,900 less income tax in the first year alone by relocating [...]
Students urged to rethink idea of a ‘safe job’ as Labour pledges major education reform July 28, 2026 A Cabinet minister has warned young people against depending on “safe and secure jobs” as Andy Burnham announced that children as young as 14 will get access to technical education. Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, has said that changes to the education system were “more urgent” given disruption to the jobs market from [...]
Number of British millionaires sinks to lowest level since financial crisis July 28, 2026 The number of millionaires in Britain has sunk to its lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis as rich residents flee the country due to punishingly high levels of tax and the removal of non-dom status, a fresh study has claimed. Some 442,000 millionaires were listed as residents in Britain in 2025, a seven per [...]
Burnham won’t be bold enough to make devolution shift the dial on growth July 28, 2026 Within a year of Cornwall abolishing the 45p additional rate of income tax and reducing corporation tax to 15 per cent, hundreds of entrepreneurs and businesses, including dozens of major financial and professional services firms, had relocated to the county. The influx of private sector dynamism delivered an astonishing economic boost to a region that [...]
‘Moron premium’ – Westminster turmoil has ‘cost taxpayers £35bn’ since 2022 July 28, 2026 Secretive plotters and vengeful strategists in Westminster have cost taxpayers around £35bn since 2020, new research by one of the world’s top insurance companies has found. In a study into the costs of political fragility facing European governments, researchers at Allianz Trade found that the UK government continued to pay a “distinct political premium” due [...]
Burnham and Healey face investor fury over summer of tax speculation July 27, 2026 Andy Burnham and John Healey are contending with a growing backlash from investors after another summer of tax speculation looks set to leave financial managers on edge. The chief executive of one of the UK’s biggest investment platforms, AJ Bell, urged Chancellor Healey to take a more emphatic approach on ruling out tax hikes across [...]
AI Minister: Visa reform key to keeping tech giants in Britain July 27, 2026 AI Minister Kanishka Narayan renewed calls for more visas for top engineers, arguing that the UK will need to do more to help tech companies scale at home rather than sell overseas. In his first interview since joining Andy Burnham’s cabinet, Narayan said he would use his seat at the top table to push for [...]