Starmer: UK will not be pushed by China on embassy October 28, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at China’s Foreign Ministry as he said a decision on its embassy proposal at the Royal Mint Court site, located just beyond the Square Mile, would be taken in a “proper way regardless of any views or pressure from anyone”. In an interview with Bloomberg, the Prime Minister defended [...]
Looking for growth is a lot better than hoping for it October 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer like to say that economic growth is the defining mission of this government, but as the latest data shows it’s starting to resemble Mission Impossible. While the government deserves credit for addressing some of the deep-rooted issues that have held back growth for so long – whether though planning reform [...]
Reeves’ National Wealth Fund faces ‘very challenging’ growth goal October 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves faces an uphill battle as she looks to use her National Wealth Fund to ramp up the government’s economic growth mission, top MPs have warned. The Chancellor has touted the new unit as a growth-focused initiative that would unlock over £70bn in private investment. But in a new Treasury Select Committee report, the group’s [...]
Rachel Reeves alerts top investors on tax rises and spending cuts October 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sent a message to international investors on incoming tax hikes and spending cuts in an effort to ease market nerves ahead of this year’s Budget. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative – or ‘Davos in the Desert’ – in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Reeves prepared investors for a more difficult Budget next [...]
Retail sales falter as Budget tensions kick in October 27, 2025 Retail sales are set to decline at a faster pace in the weeks leading up to the November Budget, a new survey has indicated, as Brits hold out for extra taxes and higher prices. A Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey has suggested that retail sales could collapse in November, reflecting household fears about being [...]
Left-wing think tank urges Labour to amend Employment Rights Bill October 27, 2025 A left-leaning economics think tank that was the former workplace of Treasury ministers has called for a major change to be made to Labour’s flagship Employment Rights Bill in a last-ditch demand before workers’ rights are written into law. The Resolution Foundation, which was formerly led by Budget mastermind Torsten Bell, has called for a [...]
Looking for Growth? Look no further. October 27, 2025 The fury online is palpable, high-fliers feel undervalued, and ‘Britain is Broken’ has become the ridiculing punchline enjoyed by American crypto traders and digital nomads. Here though, at a mini arena in Greenwich on a Thursday night, Looking for Growth – LFG – is not a lost cause. Some attendees are unsure exactly what they [...]
Income tax raid tops Brits’ list of Budget fears October 27, 2025 Brits are more fearful of an income tax raid at the Budget than a rise in VAT or stricter rules on inheritance, a survey has found, with mounting speculation now weighing on people up and down the country. Rachel Reeves has signalled that she will raise taxes next month despite saying last year she would [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Goodwin shares soar, HSBC $1.1bn Madoff hit, Petrofac administration October 27, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Rachel Reeves likes to insist that she will “never play fast and loose with the public finances.” It’s a phrase she deploys quite often, not least when it looks as if the bond market could do with a bit of reassurance, and it means that she won’t [...]
Lucy Powell becomes Labour’s deputy leader October 25, 2025 Lucy Powell, the former House of Commons leader who was kicked out of the government in a ministerial reshuffle last month, has been elected Labour’s deputy leader. Powell beat education secretary Bridget Phillipson in the contest as she received 87,407 votes. Phillipson received 73,536 votes in the election, representing 46 per cent of the voter [...]