Banks set to escape tax raid from Rachel Reeves after lobbying November 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves is expected to avoid a cash grab on Britain’s banking titans in her forthcoming autumn Budget after the industry flagged concerns around international competitiveness. The Chancellor is understood to be hesitant on targeting the banks for a cash raid after a string of warnings from top industry chiefs on the impact on economic [...]
Reeves’ National Wealth Fund faces ‘very challenging’ growth goal October 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves faces an uphill battle as she looks to use her National Wealth Fund to ramp up the government’s economic growth mission, top MPs have warned. The Chancellor has touted the new unit as a growth-focused initiative that would unlock over £70bn in private investment. But in a new Treasury Select Committee report, the group’s [...]
MPs raise alarm as Rachel Reeves set to slash cash ISA limit October 25, 2025 Rachel Reeves has been urged to avoid slashing the cash ISA limit in the coming Autumn Budget as she looks to drive investment into the London stock market. The Chancellor is reportedly set to revive plans to cut the tax-free limit after putting previous proposals on ice after the move faced fierce backlash. The tax-free [...]
Motor finance: Where do the banks, regulator and Treasury stand? October 24, 2025 The UK banking sector had hoped the Supreme Court’s motor finance ruling would finally switch off the hazard lights and allow lenders to return to business as usual. The industry was handed a lukewarm win by the highest court in the land, who ruled in favour of the banks on two out of three cases. [...]
UK Treasury questions OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta over AI in financial services September 18, 2025 The Treasury Committee has sent letters to six major technology firms, including OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, seeking detailed information about the role they play in providing AI services to the UK financial sector. The correspondence is part of the Committee’s inquiry into AI in financial services, ahead of forthcoming sessions with regulators and HM [...]
Banks ombudsman fights for relevance amid Treasury crackdown August 18, 2025 The Financial Ombudsman Service is battling against a litany of obstacles as the government looks to “fundamentally” change its regulatory makeup. The organisation was rocked earlier this year by a leadership crisis following the abrupt departure of chief executive Abby Thomas in February. A Treasury Committee report, published in July, revealed Thomas had been dismissed [...]
FCA names interim FOS chair after abrupt leadership shake-up July 28, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has named a new interim chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service after its initial recruitment campaign “proved unsuccessful”. The City regulator appointed Liam Coleman as the watchdog’s temporary chair, which comes as controversy surrounds the departures of former leadership. Coleman will replace Baroness Zahida Manzoor who abruptly announced in February she [...]
Banks shut eight branches a week since 2016 July 10, 2025 British banks have accelerated their retreat from the high street, shutting an average of eight branches a week since 2016 in a dash to bulk up digital offerings. Nearly 3,700 sites closed between 2016 and 2024, creating 41 ‘banking deserts,’ which refer to local authorities where at least one branch shut for every 10,000 residents. [...]
National Wealth Fund boss calls for public finance consolidation July 1, 2025 The boss of Labour’s National Wealth Fund has urged the government to remain open to consolidation of public finance institutions in a bid to ease confusion for the private sector. In a hearing on Tuesday, the chief executive of the National Wealth Fund (NWF) John Flint told MPs he would “encourage” the Treasury “not to [...]
Labour’s National Wealth Fund a misnomer, MPs told June 18, 2025 Labour’s National Wealth Fund faced renewed calls for clarity on Wednesday as the Treasury Committee continued its inquiry into the government’s new body. The government’s rebrand of the National Wealth Fund (NWF) from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) in October 2024 has raised questions amid confusion of the two bodies’ remits. Academics and think tank [...]