The London LISA problem November 19, 2025 ISAs are set for a starring role in next week’s Budget as Chancellor Rachel Reeves searches for ways to kickstart economic growth. The Treasury is reportedly mulling a slash to the cash ISA ceiling from £20,000 to £10,000 to stop Brits hoarding cash, and encourage investment into domestic stocks. Dividends are also potentially in the [...]
London, Manchester and Edinburgh to bear the brunt of mansion tax November 19, 2025 A mansion tax in next week’s Budget could stifle property markets and disproportionately harm homeowners in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, tax experts have warned. Rachel Reeves is reportedly planning a mansion tax raid on high-value properties, as she takes a “smorgasbord” approach to the Budget after last week’s dramatic income tax U-turn. The Chancellor has [...]
Keir Starmer remains tight-lipped on stealth tax U-turn November 19, 2025 Keir Starmer refused to rule out introducing tax hikes on British workers despite being challenged on past commitments to unfreeze tax thresholds from 2028. Starmer attempted to deflect opposition leader Kemi Badenoch’s questions as she recited comments he and the Chancellor had made over the last year on pledges not to extend a freeze on [...]
Interactive Investor abandons retail campaign in fresh blow to Rachel Reeves November 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plans to increase investment in the UK stock market has been hit with a fresh blow, as Britain’s second largest retail investment platform pulls out of the government backed marketing campaign. Interactive Investor, which is owned by London listed investment manager Aberdeen, has become the latest well known name to abandon the [...]
Autumn Budget: BrewDog boss issues £1bn warning to Rachel Reeves November 19, 2025 The hospitality sector needs to sell almost one million extra pints every hour in order to cope with a £1bn cost surge thanks to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes, the chief executive of BrewDog has warned. James Taylor, who took on the job earlier this year, said Reeves needs to take ‘meaningful action’ because of [...]
Reeves’ Budget will fail to rescue public finances, top bank predicts November 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ upcoming Budget will not live up to market hopes of fiscal caution nor will it solve problems around high government expenditure, analysts at a leading City bank have warned. Reeves has said she intends to build a larger fiscal buffer than £9.9bn in order to “absorb shocks” next week while the Budget [...]
Lloyds to acquire London fintech in bid to grow digital offerings November 19, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group is acquiring London based fintech Curve, as it looks to boost its digital offerings and compete against popular challenger banks. Curve, which was founded in 2015, operates as a digital payment wallet which combines all debit and credit cards alongside alternative payment sources, such as cryptocurrency, onto a single platform. The platform [...]
Knife edge: Hospitality calls on government to serve up change November 19, 2025 Industry insiders – from chefs to independent brands – are calling on the Chancellor to provide real support in next week’s Budget, writes Carys Sharkey “I’d rate it one out of 10. Frankly, it’s been negligible”. Ask any chef across the country how they would rate this government’s support for the hospitality sector and you’ll [...]
UK spinout economy could be Reeves’ next growth lever November 19, 2025 As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her Autumn Budget, discussions of economic growth often centre on investment and fiscal levers. However, an arguably equally powerful driver of economic growth operates within the nation’s universities. Spinout ventures are turning ideas into viable businesses, attracting investment, generating high-skilled jobs and developing technologies with global reach. In [...]
Inflation stays high in pre-Budget warning to Reeves November 19, 2025 Inflation hit 3.6 per cent in the year to October, it has been revealed, in the last set of prices data Chancellor Rachel Reeves will see before a crucial Budget focused on curbing the cost of living. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said inflation cooled slightly from last month’s figure of 3.8 per cent, [...]