Labour ministers ordered to stop relying on emergency funds October 9, 2025 Labour ministers have been told they will be blocked from using the government’s reserve funds to pay public sector staff and will only be given cash in exceptional circumstances. James Murray, the chief secretary to the Treasury, has told colleagues across the Cabinet that access to rainy day funds will be limited as the government [...]
Business confidence slumps to three-year low as tax fears ‘quash risk-taking’ October 9, 2025 Business confidence has plummeted to its lowest level in three years, an industry body’s leading quarterly survey has found, as rising tax fears ahead of the Budget are “quashing” investment and growth in the UK economy. The Labour government has boasted that the country was “open for business” after it struck investment deals with tech [...]
Autumn Budget: ‘Window is closing’ on Labour’s growth mission October 9, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of BusinessLDN shares what he thinks could be the capital’s 21st century moment. The “window is closing” on the government’s mission to achieve economic growth, the boss of London’s business advocacy group [...]
Former CPS top lawyer: China spy case ‘does not add up’ October 8, 2025 Public prosecutors have said a Chinese spy case involving Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry was dropped due the lack of evidence provided by the Labour government on labelling the country a threat. The Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) tried to take evidence from the government “over many months” [...]
Mel Stride: I would raise income tax in Rachel Reeves’ position October 7, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said he would raise income taxes if he were in Rachel Reeves’ position, facing a £30bn black hole in the public finances. Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory party conference in Manchester, Stride said raising income taxes was the “cleanest” tax hike option available. His comments will likely [...]
Reform in poll surge as Starmer’s approval rating remains worst in UK October 6, 2025 Reform UK has extended its lead over Labour in the polls as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approval ratings remained the worst of any top British political figure despite rallying calls for voters to back the government in defeating Nigel Farage. The latest monthly City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll shows Nigel Farage’s Reform UK gaining two points [...]
China spying case collapse leads to ‘interference’ accusations October 6, 2025 Senior officials have pointed fingers at the Labour government over the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Senior UK government figures told the Financial Times that the government fatally undermined the Chinese spying case in order to protect the UK’s commercial and [...]
Autumn Budget: Another major NICs tax raid on the cards, economists warn October 6, 2025 Another multibillion-pound national insurance raid is on the cards at the forthcoming autumn Budget, economists have warned, as chancellor Rachel Reeves scrambles to plug a £30bn fiscal black hole. A combination of changes to the rules governing National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and income tax is set to rake in an extra £15bn in extra tax [...]
Construction sector hit by waning activity ahead of Budget October 6, 2025 Business activity expectations in the construction industry have fallen to the lowest since the end of 2022 as companies remained glum on future outlook ahead of the Autumn Budget. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed construction output showed the industry hit its highest level for three months at 46.2 – though [...]
Economists ask Labour to prioritise planning reform and cut tax to boost growth October 6, 2025 A survey of economists and policy experts has put pressure on Labour to “spend political capital” on planning reform to encourage more home building and on reforming the welfare system, reflecting the urgency of the government’s mission to grow the economy. A centre-left think tank focused on growth policy, the Centre for British Progress, has [...]