UK services sector in ‘fragile recovery’ as employment fears linger June 23, 2025 The UK services sector expanded in June, despite tax hikes and a drop in employment across the UK economy, new figures have suggested. The double whammy of President Trump’s tariffs and Chancellor Reeves’ tax increases in April lowered confidence levels among businesses, with official data showing the UK economy contracted by as much as 0.3 [...]
Nigel Farage reveals one-off £250,000 non-dom payment plan June 23, 2025 Nigel Farage has announced a £250,000 one-off “landing fee” for a ‘Britannia Card’ for non-doms to qualify for tax exemptions, in a push to stem the growing exodus of high net worth individuals from the UK. The policy would enable a Robin Hood-style direct payment to the lowest paid – directly to their bank accounts, [...]
Industry electricity costs for 7,000 businesses to be slashed by up to a quarter June 23, 2025 Electricity prices for 7,000 businesses in the UK are to be slashed by up to 25 per cent from 2027 as part of the government’s much-awaited Industrial Strategy. British manufacturers are facing the highest industrial electricity prices in the G7, with costs currently four times higher than those of the US and significantly higher than [...]
Top private school faces job cuts after Reeves’ tax grab June 21, 2025 A prestigious private school has said it may be forced to make job cuts due to the Labour government’s removal of VAT exemption on school fees. Edinburgh-based Fettes College – where former Prime Minister Tony Blair is among alumni – has said the introduction of VAT on school fees contributed to the “difficult” decision to [...]
UK government’s love/hate relationship with consultancy firms June 20, 2025 When it comes to calling in the consultants, the UK government has had leading firms on speed dial over the years. But cuts are on top of Labour's agenda
Alarm bells as retail sales suffer largest fall in 18 months June 20, 2025 UK high streets suffered from post-Easter fatigue among shoppers as official data showed retail sales dropped by 2.7 per cent in May. The Office for National Statistics said a fall in sales in May represented the largest month-on-month drop since December 2023. A Bloomberg poll of economists expected retail sales to drop by 0.5 per [...]
Ministers set to cut industrial energy prices for British manufacturers June 20, 2025 The government plans to slash industrial energy prices for British manufacturers, enabling them to better compete with key European rivals. Ministers will unveil a multibillion pound package of taxpayer-funded support for the UK’s most energy intensive industries, as part of the government’s industrial strategy on Monday, according to reports. Proposals to make energy prices more [...]
Lord Darzi: Tech and global collaboration could save the NHS’s ‘critical condition’ June 20, 2025 The NHS is in ‘critical condition’ and in urgent need of reform, but technology and international partnerships, particularly with India, could hold the key to its recovery, said Lord Ara Darzi. “We have a lot to learn from our colleagues in India”, Darzi announced on Thursday at the India Global Forum. “They’ve done some really [...]
Infrastructure strategy: Hospitals and schools focus of funding push June 19, 2025 The government will plough £10bn a year into restoring Britain’s crumbling schools, hospitals and prisons as part of a long-awaited infrastructure strategy outlining the state’s investment priorities over the next decade. Over £6bn a year will be devoted to hospital maintenance over the next decade, in a move that the Treasury said will cut waiting [...]
Week in Business: Non-dom tax U-turn makes sense but what about the rest of us? June 19, 2025 The Chancellor is scrambling to hang on a few non-doms, but what about the tax bomb dropped on the rest of the country?