Big pharma’s devastating retreat from the UK September 16, 2025 Merck and AstraZeneca’s withdrawal from UK investment is a warning signal to Rachel Reeves – but is she listening? Asks Oliver Dean Both AstraZeneca and Merck’s decision to abandon their respective UK expansions is more than a corporate setback. It is a catastrophic loss of jobs, investment and future innovation and the public are now [...]
Google pledges £5bn investment as it opens first UK data centre September 16, 2025 Google has pledged to invest £5bn into the British economy as it opens its first owned and operated data centre in the UK. The tech giant said the investment, which comprises capital spending and research and development over the next two years, will bolster its AI-powered projects in science and healthcare, creating more than 8,000 [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes are ‘taking Britain back to 1980s’ as investors turn their backs September 15, 2025 Britain’s jobs market is being hollowed out just like it was in the 1980s thanks in part to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes, the chief executive of recruitment giant Reed has said, as the CBI warns the country is now seen as a less attractive place to invest than five years ago. James Reed said [...]
Parents’ secrecy on inheritance plans leaves children facing unexpected tax burdens September 15, 2025 Parents are choosing not to tell their children about their inheritance plans, leaving them at risk of being slapped with unexpected tax bills, new research has found. According to investment manager Charles Stanley, more than a third of Brits have an alarming lack of knowledge of how their parents plan to pass down wealth, despite [...]
Brits risk financial future as they fail to save for retirement September 15, 2025 UK savers are failing to put enough money away to fund retirement, despite growing calls from industry figures for people to get to grips with their pension savings. According to the latest report from Lloyds subsidiary Scottish Widows, nearly a quarter of working age people aren’t currently saving for retirement. Meanwhile, over a third are [...]
Bank of England likely to slow down QT programme, Investec economist says September 15, 2025 The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is likely to slow down its quantitative tightening (QT) programme over the next year, an Investec economist has said, as Britain’s central bank looks to quell concerns over rising gilt yields. “We doubt that the MPC will maintain the same pace of balance sheet reduction next year [...]
Can Peter Kyle deliver a Budget lifeline for UK’s SMEs? September 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her Autumn Budget on 26 November, nearly a month later than usual, and eyes are on what she will do for the SMEs. With borrowing costs hitting their highest levels since 1998, and servicing the national debt topping £100bn a year, the government has been urged to maintain fiscal [...]
Exclusive: FCA licence approvals slump September 15, 2025 As few as six e-money licence applications have been granted by the UK’s financial regulator over the past 9 months, City AM can reveal, underscoring the scale of the regulatory obstacles faced by Britain’s fintech startups. Data obtained by City AM via Freedom of Information request showed that not a single authorised electronic money institution (AEMI) licence [...]
Taxing business is not the way to win the investment race September 15, 2025 Attracting investment is all about sending the right signals, and that starts with tax policy, says Chris Hayward Party conference season brings warm white wine, beige food and late nights. These festivals of politics tend to be high in rhetoric and low in substance. Businesses across the Square Mile seek more of the latter and [...]
Aldi issues Budget warning as profit slashed September 15, 2025 Profit at discount supermarket giant Aldi was slashed by more than £100m during its latest financial year despite sales passing the £18bn mark. New figures released by the chain show its operating profit declined from £552.9m to £435.5m in 2024. Aldi said the fall was as a result of it continuing to “lower prices for [...]