Will the Labour party survive its conference? September 25, 2025 The left, just like the right, is a broad but unhappy church – will its internal rifts reach breaking point at Labour’s upcoming conference in Liverpool? Asks Helen Thomas This Sunday, Liverpool plays host to the Labour Party conference, where the party’s competing wings will jostle under the harsh glare of the government spotlight. Just [...]
A competent Chancellor would break Britain’s high tax, high spend doom loop September 25, 2025 Economic alarm bells are blaring, but Rachel Reeves has stuck her fingers in her ears, says shadow chancellor Mel Stride Britain’s economy is on the brink. We’re set for the highest inflation in the G7; unemployment is at a four-year high; and GDP growth is pitiful – in July it was literally zero. Meanwhile, borrowing [...]
London hot on New York’s heels as financial centre race ramps up September 25, 2025 London is now within a whisker of ousting New York as the world’s leading financial hub, fresh rankings reveal, but risks remain over the capital’s fintech prospects. The City was chomping at the heels of the Big Apple with just a singular rating point between the two. New York once more topped the rankings in [...]
High net worths rejig estates as inheritance tax overhaul looms September 24, 2025 The high-net-worth clients of a leading wealth manager are rearranging their estate planning to get ahead of potential changes in the Budget, fearing the Chancellor will mount another inheritance tax grab to help plug the Treasury’s £30bn fiscal hole. Rathbones said that interest from its customers in inheritance-related advice has “risen sharply” since the start [...]
Graduates buckled by staggering amounts of student debt September 24, 2025 UK borrowers have become burdened with excessive amounts of student debt, as interest on loans continues to climb. According to a freedom of information request submitted to the Student Loans Company (SLC) by asset manager Royal London, at the end of June 150,453 people had loans of £100,000 or more. This was a 33 per [...]
Standard Life set to enhance pension exposure in private markets September 24, 2025 Pension provider Standard Life is set to launch a new fund with significant private market allocation, as it works to make investing in the private market more accessible for savers. The Future Opportunities fund aims to improve outcomes and boost returns by diversifying customer portfolios with exposure to quality private assets which could offer increased [...]
Government urged to amend the Pension Schemes Bill September 24, 2025 The Association of Investment Companies, (AIC) has voiced its frustration at the incoming Pension Schemes Bill failing to include investment companies. The bill aims to strengthen pension investment by giving government powers to push schemes to invest a percentage of their portfolio in private assets. However, in the drafted legislation which is passing through the [...]
‘We’re already at peak government inflicted costs’ BT chief warns Chancellor September 24, 2025 The boss of BT has joined a chorus of chief executives urging the Chancellor not to raise the costs of doing business at her forthcoming Budget, warning the telecoms industry was “already at peak government inflicted costs.” In an on-stage interview with City AM at the Connected Britain conference on Wednesday, Allison Kirkby said: “We [...]
Wages soar to £1.5bn as HMRC ramps up on compliance staff September 24, 2025 HMRC has allocated over £1.5bn for 2024-25 to support staff in compliance, preventing and detecting fraud cases and collecting taxes, representing a 23 per cent increase on its 2021-22 staff bill. According to a freedom of information (FOI) shared with City AM by think tank Parliament Street, over the past fiscal year as part of [...]
Stalling Starling revs up Engine in rebrand September 24, 2025 Veteran of the UK fintech industry Starling has overhauled its brand with a fresh colour palette, a new slogan and even a new name. The digital lender announced last week it would drop the word “Bank” from its banking arm’s name in a move analysts have described as a “significant” step in its evolution. The [...]