Reeves denies authorising Budget leaks December 9, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has rejected accusations that she authorised leaks of the Budget to media outlets in the run-up to her statement, which led to sharp turns in bond markets and worsening business confidence. During Treasury Questions on Tuesday afternoon, Reeves was asked by her counterpart Mel Stride whether she authorised or allowed confidential details [...]
Budget chaos takes toll on October growth as ‘prospects remain poor’ December 9, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have grown by just 0.1 per cent in October as firms grappled with Budget speculation and uncertainty, analysts have said. A Bloomberg poll of City economists predicted the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will pencil in next to no growth for the month. The expected slowdown is set to [...]
FCA to allow firms to ‘eradicate jargon’ for retail investors December 8, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is rolling out a heap of new measures to “move the dial on risk” among Britons as it bids to lead on the charge to boost retail investment, including through allowing them to remove legal jargon that confuses consumers. In a suite of consultations unveiled on Monday, the City regulator [...]
Employment Rights Bill: Workers to get pro-union pamphlets December 8, 2025 Employers will be mandated to tell workers about the option of joining trade unions under new rules coming into force with the Employment Rights Bill. In one of several changes to workers’ rights to be made, bosses will have to inform new hires about what unions do and how they can join one. The change, backed [...]
Labour’s biggest union backer eyes party split December 7, 2025 Labour’s biggest union backer is considering a significant vote to split from the party in another blow to Starmer’s leadership. Senior officials at the UK’s largest trade union Unite are in talks about whether to call an emergency conference to vote on formal disaffiliation from the Labour party, according to reports from The Telegraph. Sources [...]
Recruiters suffer from sharp slowdown in permanent hiring December 7, 2025 Recruiters suffered a sharp slowdown in setting up permanent placements for job seekers in 2024, with an industry group suggesting the number of positions had fallen by more than a third compared to 2023. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said the UK economy’s lacklustre performance in recent years had hit businesses seen as essential [...]
Labour minister: Life is s**t for young people December 5, 2025 A Labour minister has offered a candid assessment of life in the UK in reaction to a news story about the costs associated with housing and raising children. In a post on X, Josh Simons, the parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office who co-founded the Labour Growth Group, said life for young adults wanting to [...]
Bank of England: Businesses cut staff at fastest pace since pandemic December 5, 2025 British businesses cut jobs at the fastest rate since the pandemic in the run-up to Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. A closely-watched survey from the Bank of England, which quizzes finance directors on their staffing levels, showed employment in the private sector fell by 1.8 per cent in November – the steepest monthly decline since July [...]
Stride criticises FCA for not investigating Treasury December 4, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has criticised the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s decision to hold back from launching an investigation into whether the Treasury engaged in market manipulation before the Budget, adding that there was a risk of a “precedent” being set where confidential information is leaked “without consequence”. Earlier on Thursday, FCA chief executive Nikhil [...]
Construction in worst downturn for five-and-a-half years December 4, 2025 The construction sector suffered its worst downturn in output for five and a half years last month, new figures have shown, in a warning to the Labour government as it hopes to build 1.5m homes by 2030. A monthly S&P Global survey showed that the decline in output rapidly accelerated over the month, with the [...]