What does new City minister Rachel Blake have in store for the Square Mile? May 15, 2026 The Westminster drama has hit the City in more ways than one. After Wes Streeting’s resignation triggered a mini-reshuffle, Felix Armstrong and Samuel Norman take a look at what the new City minister might have in store. In just under two years, the City has its fourth minister. Tulip Siddiq resigned in January 2025 after [...]
How repeat entrepreneur relief could strengthen the UK start-up ecosystem May 15, 2026 Repeat Entrepreneur Relief is proposed to strengthen the UK start-up ecosystem by incentivizing successful founders to reinvest their capital and expertise into the next generation of UK businesses, thereby addressing the domestic funding gap and creating a self-sustaining growth environment, says Zuleika Salter While the UK has long been recognised for its strength in innovation [...]
Rayner says she has been cleared by HMRC in fresh Labour leader twist May 14, 2026 Angela Rayner has said she was cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing or carelessness over her tax affairs, which is set to shake up a divided Labour Party just as Sir Keir Starmer‘s leadership seemed poised to fall apart. Rayner said that she settled a case of unpaid stamp duty and added that she had been [...]
Quantexa chief says £175m HMRC deal will ‘protect taxpayers’ money’ May 14, 2026 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has signed a £175m, 10-year partnership with London-based Quantexa to overhaul its data infrastructure, as the tax authority scrambles to recover billions lost to evasion and sophisticated fraud. The deal – one of the largest tech deployments in the public sector – is designed to fix the “fragmented” legacy systems [...]
UK businesses eyeing shift to ‘more predictable’ tax regimes May 14, 2026 UK businesses are considering relocating abroad for a more stable tax and regulatory landscape, according to new research from consulting and network Baker Tilly International. The group, in its annual mid-market survey conducted earlier this year, found that out of all nine markets and 1,500 business leaders surveyed, including in the US, China, and India, [...]
Why the battle for Labour’s future could prove to be very expensive May 13, 2026 Amid the farce and drama, spare a thought for His Majesty, who will today sit on the throne in the House of Lords and read out details of Keir Starmer’s legislative agenda for the coming parliamentary term. The monarch may be above politics, but not so far above that he won’t see the absurdity of [...]
Voters – and markets – fear a lurch to the left under new Labour PM May 12, 2026 A majority of voters are worried that a change of Labour leadership would drag the government further left, as support grows for lower taxes and less public spending. The latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters, conducted after the devastating council election results for Labour, also found 29 per cent of voters preferred Manchester [...]
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 [...]
‘Twenty years of caution’: Banking industry ramps up efforts to fix ‘anaemic’ UK growth May 11, 2026 The UK’s industry body for banking has stepped up its lobbying efforts for the government to improve “anaemic” growth figures and bolster the financial services sector. A new report published by UK Finance – the body representing around 300 firms that provide UK banking services – has issued a nine-point plan, which calls for “clear [...]
Tories pledge to slash tax and red tape in ‘alternative King’s Speech’ May 10, 2026 The Tories have set out their vision for the UK economy, pledging to slash taxes and red tape to “back innovation, entrepreneurship and growth”. Kemi Badenoch’s party has said it would slash welfare spending, scrap business rates for high street business and repeal Labour’s workers’ rights reforms. The Conservatives have published their “alternative King’s Speech,” [...]