A wealth tax would be a disaster – and an admission of total failure July 8, 2025 Why wouldn’t Downing Street rule out a wealth tax? It isn’t difficult, you just say “we will not introduce a wealth tax” and the show moves on. Instead, when asked about the growing clamour in Labour circles for new tax aimed squarely at the well-off, Downing Street’s spokesperson simply talked about the need for “the [...]
What’s so bad about a wealth tax? July 7, 2025 That "millionaires don't need all that money" misses the point. Wealth taxes hurt us all, writes Callum Price.
Brits pour scorn on Labour after week from hell July 7, 2025 Brits have delivered a withering verdict on Labour after a week in which the anniversary of their election victory was marred by shambolic u-turns and infighting. Following the dramatic events of last week, voters’ disapproval of the government appears to have intensified with a growing number of Brits opposing the government’s high-tax-high-spending policies, according to [...]
Rachel Reeves warned cash ISA reforms will hike mortgage costs July 7, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ plans to cut the cash ISA limit have been blasted by the bosses of Britain’s top building societies over fears they will hike borrowing costs. The Chancellor has been warned her proposals to slash savers’ annual cash ISA allowance from the existing tax-free threshold will drive up costs for homeowners and businesses. Concerns [...]
Financial services brace for more job cuts as clouds gather July 7, 2025 Financial services firms are expecting a rapid increase in jobs losses over the coming months as investment plans and optimism levels sink to fresh lows. The sector’s activity fell at the fastest rate since December 2023 in the three months to June, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). This marked the first time [...]
Personal guarantees ‘overuse’ holding UK growth back July 7, 2025 The “overuse” of personal guarantees in borrowing arrangements is holding businesses back and stifling UK growth, innovators have warned, with only a small minority of companies claiming they would borrow from banks with their personal savings or assets on the line. A new survey of some 1,400 small business owners by the Federation of Small [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to rip up ring-fencing in banking growth push July 7, 2025 Rachel Reeves is facing renewed pressure to scrap the ring-fencing regime imposed on British banking giants in a bid to bolster the sector’s international competitiveness and bolster economic growth. The Chancellor has been lobbied by top banking chiefs to ditch the “redundant” 15-year-old legislation, which requires major banks to separate their retail banking operations from [...]
In defence of crying at work July 7, 2025 Was Rachel Reeves really too emotional, or have we just got a gender issue when it comes to leadership, Anne Francke asks.
Scottish Widows owner: Pension funds deal risks making UK like China July 7, 2025 Labour’s flagship deal with pension funds risks making the UK economy more like China, the boss of Lloyds Banking Group has warned after its subsidiary Scottish Widows chose not to sign up to the agreement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves won the support of 17 pension funds which agreed to invest at least five per cent of [...]
Hiring confidence worst in 13 years as businesses brace for further tax hikes July 7, 2025 Appetite for hiring among employers has fallen to lows not seen since 2012, as bosses bring up the drawbridge following bruising hikes to business rates and more tax rises looming at the next Budget. Research from the BDO Business Trends barometer found that firms are “holding back recruitment” despite indications of a summer recovery. Employment [...]