Inheritance tax enquiries surge to six-year high after HMRC clampdown Economics Tax authority probes into households’ inheritance tax returns have surged to a six-year high, after a government-led crackdown on avoidance and non-compliance. HMRC opened a total of 4,940 formal inheritance tax enquiries over the last financial year, according to new data obtained by chartered accountants Price Bailey, an 18 per cent increase on the previous [...]
Government should fix ‘stubbornly weak’ growth with policy test, industry body argues Business The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is calling on the government to break decades of low economic growth by introducing a new delivery test, as businesses continue to slash investment under the burden of mounting costs. In the BCC diagnoses, the UK’s growth problem is not a lack of potential but a failure to turn [...]
Pat McFadden: I have not apologised to Rachel Reeves over ‘tax to pay benefits’ text Politics Welfare secretary Pat McFadden has doubled down on his remarks unearthed in the Mandelson files that “every meeting [he has] is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’”. The Cabinet minister was among numerous top officials to have his private messages released in documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s stint as the [...]
‘Why single out banks?’: Santander chief hits out at UK tax regime June 8, 2026 The boss of Santander has branded the UK’s tax regime on banks as making “no economic sense” as speculation mounts that the industry could be turned to for a quick cash grab if the Labour government lurches to the left. Ana Botín, the chief executive of the Spanish banking giant, has said the UK tax [...]
Barclays and Lloyds shares sink as political storm puts banks in tax sights May 12, 2026 The UK’s banking giants led a major sell-off across the FTSE 100 this morning as a combination of political hazards hit the London stock market. Barclays was the top faller on the index shortly after market open, shedding over four per cent to 410.65p. Natwest was not far behind, also losing over four per cent [...]
Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs May 5, 2026 The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
Nigel Farage: Reform will tax the banks even if they don’t like it January 22, 2026 Nigel Farage has confirmed Reform will slap a tax on the UK’s banking giants in the latest dramatic escalation of his party’s tensions with the City. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Davos, Farage said: “This will be tough for banks to accept but I am sorry – the drain on public finances [...]
UK economy showing signs of ‘zombie apocalypse,’ says think tank January 5, 2026 The UK economy faces a “zombie apocalypse” in the coming year, as years of tough trading conditions force thousands of unproductive firms to the wall, an influential left-leaning think tank has predicted. The Resolution Foundation forecasts a “triple whammy” of multi-year increases in interest rates, energy prices and the minimum wage will lead to the [...]
Labour ‘quietly hammering’ workers as pensioners benefit, think tank warns January 2, 2026 The Labour government is “quietly hammering” workers following the Autumn Budget’s stealth tax raid while pensioners and those on benefits are set to enjoy a jump in income, a think tank has said. In the November Budget, Rachel Reeves extended the freeze on income tax thresholds until 2031 – a move which is viewed as [...]
Business leaders fear more tax rises are on the way November 28, 2025 Businesses leaders are bracing for more tax rises even following another hefty cash raid from Rachel Reeves in her second Autumn Budget. Over two thirds of top bosses have said they fear business leaders will be targeted with more tax hikes even after the Chancellor raised taxes to the tune of £26bn on Wednesday. A [...]