Keir Starmer agrees migrant returns deal with France July 10, 2025 Keir Starmer has agreed a “pilot” deal to return illegal migrants to France in an exchange for individuals to arrive as asylum seekers as part of a drive to curb small boat crossings. In a speech delivered alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Starmer said the new plan would come into effect in the coming weeks. [...]
Number of affordable homes started in London plummets July 10, 2025 The number of affordable homes underway in the capital has fallen far short of expectations as tight regulations and cost pressures make sites unviable. The Greater London Authority has so far completed 871 homes under the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), according to its annual housing report. This is just over five per cent of [...]
Benefits claimants take home more than minimum wage workers July 10, 2025 Brits claiming sickness benefits can be paid up to £25,000, which is more than the take home pay of a minimum wage worker. That’s according to new research from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which found that if a claimant is receiving universal credit incapacity benefits alongside personal independence payments and housing benefits, the total [...]
Vistry looks to ‘transformative’ government investment as profit drops July 10, 2025 Housebuilder Vistry has reported a sharp drop in profit but expects activity to pick up later in the year as the government’s affordable homes investment filters into the market. Vistry, which unseated Barratt as the UK’s biggest housebuilder last September, told markets that it expects adjusted operating profit to be £125m in the first half [...]
Peter Kyle hits back at claims Labour is too close to Big Tech July 9, 2025 Tech secretary Peter Kyle has hit back at criticism that the Labour government is cosying up to Big Tech, insisting he’s “doing the job” by securing the best deals for Britain. Speaking at a Google Cloud event in London on Tuesday, Kyle addressed recent reports flagging the number of meetings he’s had with US tech [...]
Wealth and stealth: Starmer eyes fresh tax hikes July 9, 2025 Keir Starmer has refused to rule out a wealth tax or so-called stealth taxes, a day after the fiscal watchdog said unfunded spending commitments on welfare put the public finances under intense pressure. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) gave a damning verdict of the state of public finances in a comprehensive report published on [...]
The Debate: Should Rachel Reeves reduce the Cash ISA allowance? July 9, 2025 Rachel Reeves is reportedly mulling reducing the amount Brits can save in Cash ISAs, but would such a move actually foster economic growth?
Labour’s Mansion House will be lift-off or letdown for banks July 9, 2025 Britain’s banking sector will be keeping a close eye on Rachel Reeves’ Mansion House speech on July 15 in which the Chancellor will lay out Labour’s roadmap for financial services. Banks are set to take centre stage in the Treasury’s Financial Services Growth & Competitiveness Strategy as Reeves looks to harness the sector to power [...]
Rachel Reeves to face fresh blow with sluggish growth data July 8, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have grown by a miserly 0.1 per cent in May, consensus among City economists suggests, undermining Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ commitment to deliver higher growth. The government’s difficult two weeks could get a whole lot worse on Friday morning when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on GDP [...]
Wealth tax: City bosses warn Labour of entrepreneur exodus July 8, 2025 A wealth tax would spark a fresh exodus of entrepreneurs from the UK, according to City grandees as calls mount from within Labour to explore the policy. Sir Martin Sorrell, Sir Rocco Forte and Sir Philip Hampton warned in The Telegraph that business owners could flee Britain en masse. Hotelier Sir Rocco said: “Labour has [...]