Polanski ‘tempted’ to challenge Starmer for parliamentary seat November 23, 2025 Zack Polanski has said it would be “tempting” to challenge Keir Starmer for his parliamentary seat. Green Party leader Polanski, who is a member of the London Assembly but not an MP, was asked about a poll that suggested his party could take the Prime Minister’s Holborn and St Pancras seat and whether he would [...]
Reeves accused of ‘fiscal fandango’ amid OBR forecast changes November 23, 2025 The Bank of England’s former chief economist Andy Haldane has accused Rachel Reeves of overseeing “fiscal fandango” in the lead-up to the Budget amid months of speculation around expected tax rises. Speaking to the BBC, Haldane blasted months of speculation around the Budget that had caused “paralysis” in the UK economy. His comments came days [...]
UK economy flatlines in November as Labour growth push fails November 21, 2025 The UK economy flatlined in November, researchers have suggested, as pre-Budget nerves have hit growth across the private sector. S&P Global’s initial estimate for its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has shown the UK economy just inching up, with firms pausing orders and investment plans before Chancellor Rachel Reeves announces sweeping tax hikes and possible spending [...]
PM set to formally approve new Chinese embassy November 21, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer is expected to give his formal seal of approval to a controversial new Chinese mega-embassy at Royal Mint Court, with the backing of the security services. According to a report in The Times, the approval is set to be a ‘formality’. The Home Office and Foreign Office – and, by extension, MI5 [...]
UK government borrowing overshoots in Budget blow November 21, 2025 UK government borrowing exceeded expectations in October, with benefits and public sector wages intensifying pressures on the public purse ahead of Rachel Reeves’ Budget next Wednesday. The Office for National Statistics showed that public sector net borrowing had reached £17.4bn in the last set of public finances data that government officials will see before Wednesday’s [...]
Consumer confidence is ‘bleak’ ahead of Budget November 21, 2025 Consumer confidence has cratered ahead of the Budget according to a leading survey closely monitored by policymakers at the Treasury and Bank of England. The GfK consumer confidence barometer has shown the overall index falling to -19 in November, slightly lower than at the same time a year ago. The survey of around 2,000 individuals [...]
High earners and entrepreneurs to get immigration rule carve-out November 20, 2025 High earners and innovators are set to be handed softer rules on settled status despite an immigration crackdown led by home secretary Shabana Mahmood. Under sweeping reforms to the legal migration system, Mahmood has revealed she is planning on only letting people arriving in the UK from 2021 to gain settled status, formally known as [...]
OBR questioned on Reeves’ flip-flopping and forecast changes November 20, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)’s chief has been questioned on whether he dramatically upgraded forecasts midway through the Chancellor’s Budget planning, affording Rachel Reeves as much as a £10bn swing in headroom projections and allowing her to abandon plans to raise income taxes. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has written to Richard Hughes, chair of [...]
UK startup growth clashes with Labour’s immigration reforms November 20, 2025 More than half of Britain’s fastest-growing startups are founded by immigrants, as global talent continues to power the UK’s entrepreneurial engine even as ministers tighten migration rules. New analysis from the Entrepreneurs Network shows that 54 per cent of the UK’s top 100 fastest-growing companies have at least one foreign-born founder, a sharp rise from [...]
Only a new leader can save Labour now November 20, 2025 Starmer and Reeves have a majority but not a mandate and are too weak to deliver anything. Only a new leader can give the markets and the OBR confidence that they have an actual plan, says Helen Thomas As Budget preparation ploughs into the final furlong, the next field is already lining up on the [...]