Output gains show firms are ‘protecting their margins’, Lloyds growth survey says March 19, 2025 Growth in a number of sectors shows that firms “are taking steps to protect their margins”, according to a survey of 1,300 companies. Rachel Reeves’s £20bn increase to national insurance contributions (NICs), which is set to come into effect in April, has left firms unsettled. But the latest Lloyds UK Sector Tracker has indicated companies [...]
Pay awards stagnate ahead of national insurance hike March 19, 2025 Pay growth at UK businesses is stagnating as businesses look to cut costs ahead of the Chancellor’s upcoming tax hikes. Figures compiled by HR data and insights provider Brightmine show that pay growth slumped following Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, and have since stagnated at three per cent. The current figure now aligns with the Office [...]
Reeves needs to make ‘long overdue’ changes to spending, CBI says March 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been urged to make “long overdue” changes to government spending as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) demanded greater investment in innovation. The Chancellor has previously said she is willing to “fight” for growth but leading economists have raised the alarm about an incoming recession. The CBI suggested that an economic [...]
Welfare reforms: What are the politics of Labour’s benefits changes? March 19, 2025 Over the past few weeks, it’s been hard to avoid reports of the government preparing the ground for a string of changes to the UK’s welfare system. Call it kite flying, pitch rolling, or testing the waters, when work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall got to her feet in the House of Commons on Tuesday, [...]
The bond markets must not be allowed block defence spending March 19, 2025 The Germans are funding increased defence spending through debt so why can’t we? The Chancellor needs to start telling a better story about the future direction of our economy, says Paul Ormerod President Trump wants European countries to spend five per cent of GDP on defence. Kier Starmer plans to increase UK spending from 2.3 [...]
SMEs delay investments as uncertainty leaves firms on edge March 18, 2025 Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) are delaying investment decisions, a new survey has found, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement threatens to stifle businesses. Uncertainty brought by an escalating global trade war and Reeves’ proposed reforms is making business leaders think twice about their appetite for investments in the short term. The latest survey of [...]
Liz Kendall unveils welfare reform package aimed at saving £5bn by 2030 March 18, 2025 Liz Kendall has unveiled a major package of reforms to the UK’s welfare system with the aim of saving the government £5bn by 2030.
Fintech unicorn council joins Revolut and Zilch bosses for Treasury meeting March 18, 2025 Britain’s top fintech officials met Rachel Reeves on Tuesday morning in the Chancellor’s latest financial summit to boost economic growth. The co-chairs of Innovate Finance’s Unicorn Council for UK Fintech joined leading executives at the Treasury’s meeting, City AM has learned. The council, which launched in March 2024, aims to provide the government with policy [...]
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre empire braced for Reeves’ tax hike March 18, 2025 Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre empire has warned it is bracing for the “notable impact” the hike in employer’s National Insurance contributions (NICs) when it comes into force next month. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her Budget in October 2024 that NICs would rise by 1.2 per cent from April to 15 per cent in [...]
UK economy facing recession risk as Spring Statement looms March 17, 2025 Britain’s fragile jobs market indicates that a recession is looming for the UK economy, a leading think tank has warned. Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the government’s economic record in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, claiming most major economies around the world are facing lower growth than expected. But the Resolution Foundation said the UK [...]