Firms’ inflation fears highest in two years amid interest rate hold November 6, 2025 Firms’ long-term inflation fears are at their highest level since the end of 2023, a Bank of England survey revealed on Thursday, prompting the majority of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members to vote for interest rates to be held. On an average reading in the three months to October, business leaders’ inflation expectations for the [...]
Business owners still plan staff cuts due to last year’s NICs raid October 30, 2025 Nearly half of business owners are still planning to reduce headcounts in response to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £25bn tax hike on employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs), a new survey has indicated, pointing to the long-lasting economic effects of a brutal tax raid in her first Budget. Reeves made sweeping tax hikes last year to fund [...]
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 [...]
Will we mourn the loss of WH Smith from the high street? September 29, 2025 So long then, WH Smith, a firm which has graced our high streets for more than a century – even though it never intended to. Founded as a small newspaper kiosk in Mayfair in 1792, the business grew massively in the mid-19th century, spurred by the rapid expansion of the railways, which allowed consumers up [...]
Nick Clegg: Labour’s choices have left UK in ‘perilous’ place September 4, 2025 Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has blasted the Labour government for its poor preparations ahead of last year’s elections, which led to “ridiculous” decisions being made at least year’s £40bn tax grab in the Autumn Budget. Speaking to LBC, Clegg said Labour had made promises it could not deliver as it struggled to balance [...]
Andrew Bailey calls for lower interest rates if job market stalls July 14, 2025 The Governor of the Bank of England has called for more dramatic cuts to interest rates if the jobs market sees a substantial slowdown. In an interview with The Times, Andrew Bailey insisted: “I really do believe the path is downward” for rates. He said that businesses are “adjusting employment” following Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes [...]
Fintech leads surge in London finance hiring July 10, 2025 Fintech helped lead roaring growth in London’s finance hiring for the second quarter of the year as demand for risk professionals surged amid a more moribund jobs market for traditional lenders. New financial services jobs vacancies rose three per cent quarter-on-quarter, according to Morgan McKinley’s London Employment Monitor while Greater London fintech hiring is expected [...]
UK Hospitality launch campaign to undo budget ‘hammer blow’ to sector July 9, 2025 Industry lobby group UK Hospitality has launched a campaign to reverse the “unfair” tax burden on the sector, #TaxedOut. The body has been vocal about the damage caused by higher taxes announced in the Autumn budget, estimating that 69,000 jobs have been lost since last October. “The 2024 Budget was a hammer blow to hospitality… [...]
Charities ‘penalised’ by Rachel Reeves’ taxes July 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ hike to employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) has “penalised” staff at charities up and down the UK, a new study has suggested. Rachel Reeves has reportedly suggested the £20bn tax raid on mid-sized firms was “low hanging fruit” to provide extra funding for the NHS and schools. But the collateral damage from [...]
Financial advisers sound alarm on lack of support for SMEs July 2, 2025 Financial advisers have raised concern about the lack of support for small businesses in government policy as firms feel the pinch of economic pressures. Over half of advisers surveyed by alternative lender Thincats branded government policy as unsupportive of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whilst just six per cent said it was supportive. Small businesses [...]