Keir Starmer ramps up attack on Reform in vow to ‘renew Britain’ September 30, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer ramped up his attacks on Reform as he called for Brits to unite behind the government’s mission to “renew” the country. In a make or break speech to Labour Party members, Starmer said the country was at a crossroads moment to deliver “renewal” – though he pushed back against claims Britain [...]
Brits over £200 worse off as cost of living crisis continues September 30, 2025 Brits have found themselves over £200 worse off each month compared to last year, as they continue to suffer the consequences of the cost of living crisis. According to the latest report from specialist bank Shawbrook, the average UK adult is suffering a deficit of £224 each month. Nearly 40 per cent of people confirmed [...]
Global talent visa: The migrants the UK really wants September 30, 2025 Keir Starmer’s great triumph – perhaps his only success – lies in his smart diplomacy with President Donald Trump. As Trump has moved to obliterate the world order, Starmer has made use of his soft spot for the UK. Now the Prime Minister is being urged to take advantage of Trump’s blind spot. In the [...]
Business sentiment sours as firms brace for tax hikes September 30, 2025 Business sentiment slumped in September as firms were braced for a fresh round of tax hikes in the autumn Budget. Private sector confidence slipped from 54 per cent to 42 per cent, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer survey, data which is typically seen as more cheery than rival surveys. Economic optimism edged down for [...]
UK economy stalls in second quarter September 30, 2025 The UK economy grew at a sluggish pace of 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of the year, official data has shown, another major setback for Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ as she hopes to oversee higher growth. The Office for National Statistics left its growth figure unchanged from a previous estimate as it confirmed its [...]
Rachel Reeves was overshadowed by her future self September 30, 2025 The Chancellor’s speech yesterday was overshadowed by one she hasn’t yet delivered; that’ll be the Budget, on 26 November. The whole country knows that the November Budget is going to be painful, one way or another, and its inevitable constraints (in fact, just the timing of it) meant that Reeves wasn’t able to say much [...]
‘It’s risky to be in the UK’ – Cleo founder on unicorn status and City regulation September 30, 2025 Nine years ago entrepreneur Matt Clifford took a data scientist to a “terrible pub” to convince him to drop his PhD and create his own start-up. “You may as well just take the risk, the biggest risk is not taking the risk,” Clifford told a young Barney Hussey-Yeo. Almost a decade later in 2025, Hussey-Yeo [...]
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 [...]
Rachel Reeves warns ‘harder choices’ coming at Budget September 29, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has warned that her choices will be “harder” at this year’s Budget, with questions being raised on whether she will row back on Labour manifesto tax commitments to plug a £30bn shortfall. In a speech at the Labour Party conference, Reeves said that “harsh global headwinds” and the effects of her Tory [...]
Natwest chair: Rachel Reeves’ Budget must include radical tax reform September 29, 2025 The chair of banking giant Natwest has called for Rachel Reeves to implement “radical tax reform” in her Autumn Budget. Rick Haythornthwaite has said a “bold long-term plan” to “kick-start growth” would reassure jittery bond markets and “deliver much-needed social benefits”. “This is the time for a 10-year programme of radical tax reform. Time for [...]