Small boats deal shows Labour’s technocrats have no clue what they’re doing August 11, 2025 Labour positioned itself as a party of technocrats, but the small boats deal shows they have no clue what they're doing, writes Eliot Wilson.
Housebuilders in focus amid Labour’s planning reforms push August 10, 2025 UK housebuilders will be in sharp focus as the sector grapples with construction woes, despite the Government ploughing ahead with plans to stimulate more building. Persimmon and Balfour Beatty will announce their half-year results on Wednesday, and Bellway will provide a trading update on Tuesday. York-based developer Persimmon said in May that forward sales – [...]
Over 100 civil servants set to be axed in cull of security teams August 10, 2025 More than a hundred jobs could be cut from the organisation in charge of vetting people for security clearance as the Government looks to slim down the Civil Service. The Cabinet Office has proposed reducing the staff at UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to 780 full-time roles, down from its current level of just under 900, [...]
Interest rates likely to remain higher for longer August 8, 2025 Markets are indicating interest rates are set to stay higher for longer than expected after the Bank of England’s “hawkish cut” and gloomy inflation and growth forecasts shocked City analysts. Prior to the Bank’s interest rate cuts, markets had all but priced in a further 25 basis point cut by the end of the year, [...]
Construction sector contracts at the fastest pace since 2020 August 6, 2025 Activity in the UK’s construction industry is contracting at the fastest rate since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 as high costs and tax hikes bite. The sector is vital for the Labour government’s plans for a house building boom and improvements in infrastructure, with the private sector expected to help boost the UK’s economic growth. [...]
Wealth exodus ramps up as bosses quit UK August 6, 2025 A wave of company directors have left the UK since the government unveiled a host of punitive tax rises on the wealthy at its maiden Budget last autumn, exacerbating fears that a wealth exodus of Britain’s most affluent residents is afoot. According to an analysis of Companies House data, 3,790 company directors removed Britain as [...]
We are governed by people who don’t know what they’re doing August 6, 2025 Almost 100,000 jobs in the hospitality sector have disappeared since the government unveiled its hike to employers’ National Insurance Contributions, and lowered the threshold at which it is paid. Employers have also had to contend with a rise in the minimum wage amid a storm of other headwinds including inflation, energy costs and generally weak [...]
Has Reeves realised she’s reached the limits of taxation? August 6, 2025 Much of the economic damage has already been done, but in ruling out wealth taxes and further pay deals with doctors, at least the Chancellor is allowing a shimmer of light to peep through, says Paul Ormerod England’s cricketers narrowly failed to score the 374 runs needed to beat India in the final Test match [...]
Rachel Reeves needs £50bn tax raid to stick to fiscal rules, economists warn August 6, 2025 The Treasury will need to raise more than £50bn in fresh taxes to stay within its fiscal rules, one of the UK’s most prestigious economic groups has warned, laying bare the scale of the pain that could be wrought on businesses by Rachel Reeves in the autumn. The government is set to miss its “stability [...]
Labour urged to come clean on exit tax August 5, 2025 Labour ministers have been urged to clarify whether the government will introduce an exit tax as Tax Policy Associates chief Dan Neidle warned rumours could be “damaging” for the UK economy. Chancellor Rachel Reeves looks poised to raise more than £20bn in taxes later this year amid a shortfall in the fiscal headroom left by [...]