Watch: Are we on the brink of a financial crisis? August 28, 2025 This might be the calm before the storm; the final stretch of a summer holiday that we might look back on as heady days before things turned very nasty indeed. Yesterday I interviewed the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Business Secretary – all lined up in the City AM studio. The video will be [...]
Torsten Bell: Who is the mastermind behind the 2025 Autumn Budget? August 28, 2025 When parliamentary candidates were revealed ahead of last year’s elections, Torsten Bell was one of the better-known names on Labour’s list. With his glaringly wonkish CV and swaggering way of talking up esoteric economic policies, he seemed primed to one day leave his mark on a Budget. According to the New Statesman, his opportunity to [...]
Services sector in one year of pessimism, CBI suggests August 28, 2025 The UK services sector’s pessimism in business prospects has now lasted a full year, a new survey has found, providing further evidence that the trust between businesses and the Labour government has broken down. Labour ministers have rolled out a number of strategy papers over the last months to offer firms across the country a [...]
Mental health overdiagnosis ‘costs £16bn a year’ August 28, 2025 The overdiagnosis of mental health illness in young people costs the UK around £16bn a year, a new report has suggested, with former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt claiming policies he introduced around Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) required “stretching questions”. Research by the right-leaning think tank Policy Exchange has found that the overdiagnosis of mental [...]
NDA ban and bereavement leave add extra £80m to UK Employment Bill August 27, 2025 The new amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, including banning the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), will add an additional £80m a year in costs to UK businesses. According to the employment team at TWM Solicitors, the new clauses introduced in July are expected to increase the existing government forecast of £5bn by at least [...]
National Wealth Fund pumps millions into battery storage developer August 27, 2025 The National Wealth Fund has joined forces with two investment firms as part of a £500m venture to enhance the UK’s battery storage facilities. The consortium – including infrastructure asset manager Equitix and Australian pension fund Aware Super – will “build, own and operate grid-scale battery storage assets” via an investment in developer Eelpower Energy. [...]
Bunzl: FTSE 100 giant hit by Rachel Reeves’ tax grab August 26, 2025 Profit at distribution titan Bunzl took a hit in the first six months of 2025 as challenging economic conditions weighed on the firm’s books. The FTSE 100 giant’s adjusted operating profit came in at £404.5m for the half, an 11.2 per cent drop from £455.5m for the same period the year prior. Despite this shares [...]
Bar boss quits Labour’s hospitality group after tax concerns August 23, 2025 A top boss of a British bar chain has quit a government hospitality taskforce after facing pressure over his criticism of Rachel Reeves’ tax agenda. Alex Reilley, the chairman of Loungers, has exited the Hospitality Sector Council (HSC) after receiving backlash from civil servants for publicly criticising Labour’s economic policies, The Telegraph reported. “I was [...]
UK gilt yields suffer from dwindling investor appetite August 22, 2025 UK gilt yields have gradually moved higher over August, as investor concerns over government borrowing costs and wider economic conditions continue. While daily movements have been small, the monthly performance shows a notable sharp spike in yields, with long-dated gilts in particular recording a steep increase. UK yields are now 1.5 per cent higher than [...]
Week in Business: Will Reeves Launch a Massive Tax Raid on Property and Pensions? August 21, 2025 Christian May interrupts your holiday with grim news on another punishing round of tax hikes coming in the Autumn.