Noble intentions are not enough. Reeves must fess up to mistakes March 30, 2025 Reeves's good intentions mean nothing against rising inflation, meagre growth and falling employment, writes shadow secretary Helen Whately.
A low-spend way Labour can actually increase GDP? Boost morale! March 29, 2025 Consumer confidence has become a casual predictor of GDP. Labour can use this to their advantage, writes JL Partners' Callum Hunter.
City calls for ISA reform to promote investment culture March 29, 2025 City AM spoke to experts who expect any changes to ISAs to be announced in this year’s Autumn Budget.
US tariffs: UK ‘reserves right to respond’ after carmakers meeting March 28, 2025 The UK reserves the right to respond to American tariffs, Sir Keir Starmer has said, after US President Donald Trump’s decision to slap a 25 per cent import tax on cars. The Prime Minister said his government was involved in ongoing discussions with the White House aimed at “mitigating the impact” of any levies but [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves’ popularity nears Kwasi Kwarteng levels March 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ popularity rating as Chancellor has neared Kwasi Kwarteng levels after the mini-Budget, following the Spring Statement on Wednesday. She set out £14bn in welfare and spending cuts in the House of Commons, including a £4.8bn squeeze on benefits, to restore the £9.9bn headroom she had at the Autumn Budget, which would otherwise have [...]
Rachel Reeves has already lost half of her £9.9bn headroom March 28, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has had £5bn wiped off her headroom less than 48 hours after she delivered her Spring Statement, a calculation by Bloomberg Economics has suggested. Chancellor Reeves has received several warnings from leading economists at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) that her headroom risks getting [...]
UK growth nearly stagnant in last quarter of 2024 March 28, 2025 The UK economy barely grew in the final quarter of 2024 as estimates remained unchanged, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to deliver growth “further and faster”. But Reeves has faced a rocky start as GDP only grew by 0.1 per cent between October and December. Previous [...]
Retail sales beat expectations as Brits keep shopping March 28, 2025 Retail sales volumes beat expectations in February as British shoppers seemed to loosen their spending habits, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Retail sales rose one per cent month-on-month after rising 1.4 per cent in January. Markets had expected a decline of 0.3 per cent. Annual retail sales growth came in at 2.2 [...]
Steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal to ditch UK after non-dom crackdown March 28, 2025 Steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal is set to leave the UK, as a direct result of a government crackdown on non-domiciled residents, in favour of more tax-friendly destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Switzerland, the FT has reported. The businessman, a former Blair-era Labour donor and Sunday Times Rich List number seven, is [...]
Booze, chocolate, meat, flights: What will Labour tax next? March 28, 2025 Pitiful growth forecasts will tempt Reeves to impose sin taxes on everything from a can of coke to a holiday, says James Price I’ve previously called the Chancellor Reeves the Roundhead in these pages, in honour of her fun-killing ways. But she’s not the first Chancellor to tax having a good time. A tax designed [...]