Government approves £2.2bn Gatwick second runway September 22, 2025 Gatwick Airport’s £2.2 billion second runway plan could create thousands of jobs and help “kickstart the economy”, Rachel Reeves said. In the privately-financed project, the West Sussex airport will move its emergency runway 12 metres north, enabling it to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. This will [...]
KPMG: UK taxes to rise steadily to combat mounting public spending pressures September 22, 2025 The UK government faces tough tax choices in the years ahead with mounting public spending pressures versus sluggish economic growth, according to new forecasts. Economists for KPMG said it had been an unexpectedly strong start to 2025 but the second half was looking more uncertain. The accountancy giant is forecasting UK gross domestic product (GDP) [...]
Backlash grows as Reeves eyes VAT raid on cabs September 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves is facing a mounting backlash over plans to impose VAT on taxi fares, with campaigners warning the move will hammer rural residents, make it harder for disabled people to attend medical appointments, and heap pressure on the NHS budget. The chancellor is weighing proposals to introduce a 20 per cent levy on all [...]
Trump’s trade war pushes exports and people to UK September 20, 2025 President Donald Trump’s brutal tariffs have pushed Canadian exporters across the pond, fresh data has shown, with further US policies on immigration also expected to draw more workers towards the UK. Official figures by Statistics Canada show that the country’s exports to the UK spiked by as much as 63 per cent in the months [...]
UK to explore ‘reparations loan’ for Ukraine using frozen Russian assets September 20, 2025 Rachel Reeves will announce plans to explore using frozen Russian assets to fund a “reparations loan” that could provide billions of pounds for Ukraine’s war effort. The Chancellor is expected to make the announcement at a meeting with her European counterparts in Copenhagen on Saturday, saying it is “right to explore all options to support [...]
Economists tell Rachel Reeves to target wealthy pensioners September 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves should target wealthy pensioners to ease pressures on the public purse and allow infrastructure investment pledges to be protected, top economists and former ministers have said. Former Cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell, ex Tory minister and Goldman Sachs executive Jim O’Neill, and top economists including Mariana Mazzucato have urged the government to “rebalance” [...]
‘Cash cow’ inheritance tax receipts edge higher as further changes loom September 19, 2025 Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts are on course for a record breaking year, as an increasing number of Brits brace themselves for further potential tax changes. According to the latest HMRC data, IHT receipts hit £3.7bn in the first five months of the 2025/26 tax year, continuing their two decade long upward trend. This is also [...]
‘Staggering’ – Public sector borrowing in August jumps to highest in five years September 19, 2025 Public sector borrowing in August has jumped to its highest level in five years, raising fears of huge tax hikes in the autumn to balance the books. Borrowing – the difference between total public sector spending and income – was £18bn in August 2025, £3.5bn more than last year and the highest since 2020, when [...]
Reeves’ tax hikes ‘won’t bring inflation down anytime soon’, Smeg warns September 18, 2025 The tax hikes introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Autumn Budget will mean it is “sometime” before inflation gets down to the government’s two per cent target, the UK arm of kitchenware brand Smeg has warned. The Abingdon-based division said the increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions, which came into effect in April, [...]
Was this actually Starmer’s best week? September 18, 2025 £150bn of investment has been pledged by US giants, itching to pour their money into the UK – including more than £30bn to turbocharge our artificial intelligence base. The choreography was masterful, and I don’t just mean the military and Royal welcome dolled out to the Trumps and their entourage, although it was pretty spectacular. [...]