The King’s Speech is a test of whether the UK is serious about growth Opinion For the government to prove it means what it says about growth, it should include a Financial Services Bill in the King’s Speech, says Miles Celic When the King’s Speech is delivered in the coming weeks, it will be read as a signal not just of legislative intent, but of economic credibility. For a government [...]
English Common Law: Britain’s greatest soft power Legal From London’s boardrooms to Abu Dhabi’s courtrooms, English law shapes the rules of global business as it quietly but decisively finds itself at the heart of international deals and disputes. The late Joseph S. Nye defined ‘soft power’ in the 1980s as “The ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction [...]
Business leaders ramp up pre-Budget lobby efforts amid tax fears Politics Business chiefs are ramping up efforts to sway Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of this year’s Budget as fears are mounting that fresh tax hikes could squeeze profits at firms up and down the UK. A series of letters written by heads of trade bodies have landed on the Chancellor’s desk over the last week, with [...]
Goods now make up just 40 per cent of UK exports July 28, 2025 The proportion of UK exports made up of goods has sunk to a record low, with the economy ever more dependent upon services. That’s according to analysis done by the Financial Times based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, which found that goods now account for just 40.8 per cent of exports. Back in [...]
Financial and professional services sector ‘bedrock’ to UK economic growth July 3, 2025 The UK-based financial and professional services industry has continued to be "a bedrock of national economic strength", with nearly 2.5m people employed
City minister opens door to weakening banks ombudsman June 26, 2025 City minister Emma Reynolds has suggested the government could remove powers from the banks ombudsman as part of efforts to ease regulatory burdens faces by financial services. Reynolds told an audience of bankers and investors that the end of a review on the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which acts to settle complaints made by consumers [...]
UK economy rebound hopes gather as City ‘ready to invest’ June 17, 2025 The UK economy could rebound May as a new business survey has signalled “tentative hope” that Chancellor Reeves can deliver higher growth. According to Lloyds’ latest sector tracker, two more areas of the economy saw output expand compared to data for April, a month which recorded a 0.3 per cent contract in GDP per official [...]
Car crash interview: City minister trips up over £10bn infrastructure project June 16, 2025 City minister Emma Reynolds was flummoxed by a series of questions about the government’s recent infrastructure announcements in a variously tense and cringe-inducing interview on LBC on Monday morning. Just seconds into the exchange with Nick Ferrari, Reynolds misspoke and called the Dartford Tunnel – in Kent – the Dartmouth Tunnel – in Devon – [...]
UK finance salaries drop as workers ‘actively develop’ tech skills June 4, 2025 UK finance salaries dropped by three per cent in 2025, new data has found, prompting more workers to look for new jobs and develop more tech skills to prop up their pay. Average pay in one of the UK’s richest sectors is now around £102,300, lower than the USA but still higher than Germany and [...]
‘Investment magnet’ financial services injected £281bn in UK economy May 15, 2025 Financial services injected £281bn into the UK economy and accounted for around 2.5m jobs, according to a new industry-led report. The sector, which is an essential component of business in the Square Mile and manages trillions of pounds in assets, has had to steer through several rocky years of Brexit negotiations, a pandemic and tariff [...]