Frasers Group chairman urges Unite to avoid ‘reckless’ strike October 3, 2025 The chairman of retail giant Frasers Group has urged Unite the Union to avoid “reckless and irresponsible” strike action as retail firms across the UK feel the crunch of rising cost pressures. Sir Jonathan Thompson, who took the role of Chair in September, has asked the Union’s General Secretary Sharon Graham to reconsider plans to [...]
Rachel Reeves was overshadowed by her future self September 30, 2025 The Chancellor’s speech yesterday was overshadowed by one she hasn’t yet delivered; that’ll be the Budget, on 26 November. The whole country knows that the November Budget is going to be painful, one way or another, and its inevitable constraints (in fact, just the timing of it) meant that Reeves wasn’t able to say much [...]
Rachel Reeves takes dig at Andy Burnham over bond markets September 26, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the government was reliant on bond traders as part of an effort to fix “precarious” public finances in a pointed dig at Labour’s Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. In a panel discussion in front of an audience of centre-left figures on Friday, Reeves struck a defiant tone against mooted criticism she [...]
Businesses face ‘unprecedented’ political risk ahead of Budget September 23, 2025 UK business leaders are battling an “unprecedented scale” of simmering global tensions which are set to impact profitability, according to a new survey. Concerns have spiked from the beginning of the year, a fresh survey from Beazley has concluded, with 85 per cent of UK business leaders saying political risk is affecting their profitability. This [...]
Revealed: How much profit Amazon makes in the UK September 10, 2025 Amazon’s UK profit has been revealed – with the total estimated to be well above the £500m mark. Unusually, Jeff Bezos’ empire doesn’t file a single set of group accounts for its UK activities, instead choosing to report each company’s results separately with no parent entity in this country. The picture is also further complicated [...]
Budget: More than sport at stake when it comes to betting tax hikes September 9, 2025 Today marks my first anniversary as chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council. It’s a privilege to represent an industry that contributes billions to the economy and plays such an integral role in British sport and culture. But it’s also a moment of real jeopardy for our sector, and for the sports and communities [...]
Budget 2025: Banks to ‘bear the brunt of higher taxes’ September 2, 2025 UK banks will be the top target as Rachel Reeves looks to drum up cash in the Autumn Budget, a top economist has said. Chatter around a cash grab directed at banks has escalated over the last week after left-wing think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) proposed that the Chancellor raid the quantitative easing [...]
Heston Blumenthal calls for VAT cut to ‘save British pubs’ September 2, 2025 Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has called on the government and licensees to take urgent action to halt the closure of thousands of UK pubs. The chef, who owns owner of the Michelin-starred gastropub The Hinds Head, is campaigning for a reduction to the UK’s VAT rate, which is one of the highest in Europe. He [...]
Budget 2025: Lloyds, Natwest and Barclays brace for a tax raid? September 1, 2025 Ahead of the 2024 Autumn Budget, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned Labour’s first fiscal event was “going to be painful”. He added those with the broadest shoulders “should bear the heavier burden” as Chancellor Rachel Reeves battled against an alleged ‘£22bn black hole’ inherited from the Conservative government. After lobbying efforts, banks were spared [...]
Investec raises growth forecast and backs November interest rate cut August 29, 2025 Global banking firm Investec has lifted its growth projections for the UK economy with another interest rate cut pencilled in for 2025. The financial services company expects the UK economy to grow 1.5 per cent this year and 1.6 per cent in 2026. This trumps the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast, which expects the [...]