Private sector axes more jobs amid Reeves’ tax and wage pressures February 20, 2026 The UK’s private sectors culled jobs for the seventeenth consecutive month in February led by a significant drop in the services sector as businesses were still digesting the impact of Labour’s 2024 Autumn Budget. The latest flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global described the rate of job shedding in February as at a [...]
Reeves lands £30bn reprieve ahead of Spring Statement February 20, 2026 Rachel Reeves has secured a record-breaking borrowing reprieve in fresh data that comes ahead of the Chancellor delivering her Spring Statement in March. The Treasury has been handed a surplus of £30.4bn in January, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, after a surge in tax receipts. The figure is £15.9bn higher [...]
Small businesses warn April cost hikes could force closures February 19, 2026 Small businesses have warned they are heading into an “unprecedented cost crunch” in April, with over a third of employers planning to cut output or shut down as higher taxes and bills take effect. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has written to Rachel Reeves, warning that a combination of rising energy standing charges, business rate increases, [...]
Tech CEO Daniel Callaghan: My first job was in a sports shop with Rachel Reeves February 19, 2026 We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, the CEO of one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech firms, Daniel Callaghan.
Rachel Reeves warned ‘dysfunctional’ fiscal rules are hammering economy February 19, 2026 Rachel Reeves has been dealt a scathing assessment of her economic policy by a top think tank, which likened her approach to a driver who was “watching the speedometer” while ignoring other conditions. The Chancellor is facing calls to scrap the self-imposed fiscal rules that prevent her from borrowing to pay for day-to-day spending and [...]
New EV charges threaten fragile consumer confidence February 19, 2026 The UK government wants Britain to go electric, but carmakers are under strict sales targets, grants have been extended, and billions are being funnelled into infrastructure. But at street level, the case for switching still depends on whether the switch will actually save drivers money. That question has become sharper in recent weeks, with TfL [...]
Reform UK: Robert Jenrick promises to ‘defuse benefits bomb’ February 18, 2026 Reform UK will restore the two-child benefits cap if it wins the next election, Robert Jenrick has confirmed in a speech in which he branded the Britain’s benefits system an “economic and moral disaster”. In his first formal remarks as the party’s Treasury spokesman, the former Tory shadow justice secretary confirmed Reform no longer supported [...]
Starmer sticks to youth minimum wage pledge despite jobs fears February 18, 2026 The government will stick to the Labour party’s manifesto commitment to equalise the minimum wage despite speculation it would row back on the pledge over unemployment fears, the Prime Minister has said. Speaking on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said: “We’ve made commitments to young people in our manifesto, and we will keep to those commitments, [...]
Carmakers to skirt a crash in £11bn motor finance redress February 18, 2026 UK carmakers are set to curb a hefty hit in the City regulator’s forthcoming redress scheme for the motor finance scandal. Captive lenders, in-house lenders of manufacturers, are to be granted some reprieve by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) after relentless lobbying that the scheme could hamper investment in the UK. The FCA was forced [...]
Exclusive: Fintech unicorns lukewarm on Reeves’ stamp duty holiday February 18, 2026 Two of Britain’s most exciting IPO candidates have told peers that the Treasury’s recent overhaul of stamp duty on shares will not be enough to convince them to list in London, City AM can reveal. Payments giant Zilch and banking software provider Thought Machine both used a recent meeting of industry heavyweights to raise concerns [...]