Finance chiefs lobby Healey to protect City from fresh tax grab Politics City chiefs have warned against a tax grab on financial services and called on ministers to simplify Britain’s “byzantine” tax system, as fears mount that the Chancellor will use his maiden budget next month to launch another raid on the private sector. The Square Mile’s top industry body, TheCityUK, which counts the UK’s biggest banks [...]
Badenoch: City’s risk culture should be ‘championed’ to boost UK growth Politics Tory leader Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the role of the City of London would be one of her central levers for driving economic growth, whilst suggesting that financial regulators have buckled to pressure from media and political leaders in recent years. In an address to City financiers, Badenoch will argue that the Square Mile [...]
Is ‘disinformation’ really one of the biggest challenges facing London? London All power to the Lady Mayor and her newly assembled team of City leaders who want to shout from the rooftops about the strengths and assets of our great capital city. Dame Susan Langley will tonight launch a new campaign, Team UK, backed by some of the Square Mile’s biggest business and industry groups, with [...]
The King’s Speech is a test of whether the UK is serious about growth April 24, 2026 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 December 11, 2025 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 October 20, 2025 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 [...]