Don’t forget the arts when it comes to R&D spending June 3, 2025 The UK’s creative economy is worth more than our life sciences, aerospace and automotive industries combined, says Hetan Shah UK productivity growth has been woeful since the financial crash and the economy is about a fifth smaller than it would have been had the trend in productivity growth continued after 2007. The Chancellor has a [...]
Non-dom exodus could blow ‘black hole’ in public finances June 2, 2025 At least 10 per cent of the UK’s non-doms left the UK last year following Rachel Reeves’ crackdown on the tax status, new research claims, a rate which if continued into this year would wipe out the Chancellor’s fiscal headroom. According to the Chamberlain Walker study, conducted by former Treasury economist Chris Walker, a minimum [...]
Starmer’s defence spending will mean ‘chunky’ tax rises, warns IFS June 2, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer’s plans to boost defence spending will require “chunky” tax rises, according to the chief of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Paul Johnson told Times Radio: “…if we’re really going to spend another £10-15 billion a year on defence, whilst inevitably we’re going to spend more and more on health and pensions [...]
Cash ISAs: Record £14bn piled in after rumoured cut from Reeves June 2, 2025 A record £14bn was put into cash ISAs in April as the new tax year kicked off, fresh figures from the Bank of England show, marking the highest amount since April 1999. The ballooning savings follow speculation over the fate of cash ISAs amid rumours of a cut to the allowance. In the Spring Statement [...]
Majority of Labour MPs oppose Reeves’ fiscal rules June 2, 2025 Two thirds of Labour MPs oppose Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules, and twenty percent would prefer tax rises over spending cuts. Polling by Survation, shared with The Times, showed that 64 per cent of Labour MPs said Reeves’ rules inhibit ministers’ abilities to meet their objectives, including: raising living standards, improving public services, and combatting climate [...]
Business growth expectations fall to weakest since 2022 June 2, 2025 Growth expectations among private sector firms continue to decline rapidly, fresh figures suggest, with forecasts reaching their lowest since September 2022. According to the CBI’s recent Growth Indicator survey, 30 per cent more private sector firms are expecting activity to fall than to grow over the next three months. “There is little sign of summer [...]
Reeves’ tax raids and tariff woes strain UK manufacturers June 2, 2025 British manufacturers continued to struggle in May, despite a surprise minor uptick, as tax hikes and tariffs weighed on firms. S&P Global’s latest PMI survey, which asks around 600 industrial companies about their performance, revealed manufacturers were still battling a tirade of challenges. The latest figure edged up to 46.4 in May, compared to 45.4 [...]
Andy Haldane: Reeves ‘not even close’ on growth after ‘rookie errors’ June 2, 2025 The Bank of England’s former Chief Economist has slammed Rachel Reeves’ first near-full year as Chancellor as “disappointing”, with the government “not even close to doing enough” on growth. Less than two weeks out from the 11 June spending review, Andy Haldane told LBC’s Nick Ferrari that there have been “mistakes, rookie errors” that have [...]
Monzo: Fintech unicorn tops £1bn in revenue on road to landmark IPO June 2, 2025 UK fintech giant Monzo reported its second consecutive year of profitability on Monday after the neobank’s revenue climbed above £1bn for the first time. The firm’s revenue increased 48 per cent to £1.2bn as it reported huge expansion across business arms amid rising expectations for a London flotation in the coming months. Customer deposits jumped [...]
Reeves inheritance tax raid to cost ‘staggering’ 200,000 jobs June 1, 2025 More than 200,000 jobs could be at risk over the next five years thanks to the government’s inheritance tax raid, new research suggests. Chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced sweeping changes to business and agricultural property relief in the Autumn Budget last year, impacting family-owned business and farms across the UK. A study from CBI Economics, commissioned [...]