UK business confidence bounces back from Trump’s tariff blow May 30, 2025 UK business confidence rallied in May as global financial markets made their recovery from President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught. Lloyds Bank business barometer jumped 11 points over the last month to 50 per cent. – marking a nine month high. The lender surveys 1,200 companies and weighs up the percentage of firms that have a [...]
Civil service cull can save £5bn a year May 30, 2025 Civil service cull can save £5bn a year, Policy Exchange says Cutting 80,000 civil service jobs could save the Treasury as much as £5bn pounds a year, a new report has found, as the government seeks to rein in spending in a bid to stick to its fiscal rules. The research by Westminster think tank [...]
HMRC eyes prosecution powers in tax evasion clampdown May 29, 2025 HMRC is under pressure to recover lost revenues from tax evasion, resulting in it horning in on its criminal investigation powers.
50,000 civil service jobs could be cut in Labour spending review May 29, 2025 Civil servants are facing another round of job cuts, with as many as 50,000 civil service jobs on the line in the government’s upcoming spending review. According to reports, ten per cent of civil servants, who number 500,000 in total, will be culled. The civil service swelled after Brexit and the pandemic, with 130,000 added [...]
What is ‘clearly missing’ from Rachel Reeves’ pension review May 29, 2025 A senior figure at investment bank Peel Hunt has set out what is “clearly missing” from Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plans for reforming the UK pension industry. The government has provided more details on its proposals which include the creation of £25bn ‘megafunds’ to encourage fresh investment into UK infrastructure and businesses. The Treasury has also [...]
Nationwide posts bumper year after stamp duty rush May 29, 2025 Nationwide Building Society bolstered its takings in the 12 months to March 31 2025, after a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline led to a surge in first-time buyers. The firm said it served more first-time buyers than any other lender in the UK, with 120,000 purchasing their first home. This was a significant leap from [...]
Rachel Reeves to set ‘binding’ pensions allocations in megafunds launch May 29, 2025 Rachel Reeves has confirmed plans to set “binding” allocations in pension funds as the government prepares for the launch of “megafunds” to encourage fresh investment into UK infrastructure and businesses. The Treasury said it would “take a reserve power” in the upcoming Pension Schemes Bill “to set binding asset allocation targets,” a move it said [...]
Which taxes could Rachel Reeves raise in the Autumn Budget May 29, 2025 Rising borrowing costs, u-turns on spending cuts and a wafer-thin fiscal headroom all point to one thing: Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to put up taxes later in the year. But given Labour’s manifesto commitment to avoid tax rises on “working people”, and the pain felt by businesses over National Insurance hikes, many are [...]
Reeves’ tax raids crush business confidence – but worst is yet to come May 29, 2025 Business confidence plummeted in the three months to May as Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes took hold and firms have warned more pain is to come. Consumer services’ optimism marked its eight consecutive month of decline at -42 per cent, whilst levels of business value plunged to -56 per cent. This was down from -44 per [...]
Keir Starmer hits back at Reform’s ‘fantasy’ economic policies May 29, 2025 Keir Starmer has hit back at Nigel Farage’s “fantasy economics,” after the Reform leader laid out a suite of fresh policies aimed at attracting voters away from Labour. In a speech to workers in the North West later today Starmer plans make the case against Farage’s economic credibility, likening the proposals to the Liz Truss [...]