OBR misery makes tax rises inevitable Opinion The OBR’s dire fiscal risks report portrays a world in which the only possible solution to Britain’s economic state is tax rises, says Emmanuel Igwe In ancient Greece, devotees trekked to Delphi to be told in ambiguous prose by the Pythia that chaos was nigh and only sacrifice to Apollo could hold off punishment. These [...]
IHT receipts hit record high as Rachel Reeves’ frozen bands raid plague Brits Personal Finance Inheritance tax receipts soared to a record high in the three months to June 2026, as frozen thresholds drag more Brits into the net. Receipts hit £2.3bn over the period, according to the latest figures from HMRC, a £96m increase from the same period last year. In June alone inheritance tax (IHT) receipts totalled £871m [...]
Warning for John Healey as key fiscal target missed Economics A key fiscal target has been missed on John Healey’s first morning as Chancellor, in a reminder of the poor state of public finances. Official data on Tuesday showed that the current budget deficit, which is critical to the current fiscal rules, surpassed forecasts set by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The Office for [...]
The City will bid good riddance to Rachel Reeves July 14, 2026 Rachel Reeves should be remembered: for dissembling, breaking promises and making Brits poorer. Little consolation, then, that her likely successor Ed Miliband will be so much worse, says Alys Denby Rachel Reeves will make what is likely to be her final Mansion House Speech this evening and will encourage Andy Burnham to continue her legacy. [...]
Sadiq Khan lobbies Burnham to appoint Miliband as Chancellor July 11, 2026 London mayor Sadiq Khan has weighed into the debate over who should be the next chancellor, lobbying Andy Burnham to select Ed Miliband for the job. In a private discussion with Burnham, Khan argued that Miliband had both the political skills and economic expertise to deliver Burnham’s agenda, including devolving powers to city regions, people [...]
Treasury minister: Meeting Nato defence pledge is Burnham’s job July 9, 2026 The Treasury has not evaluated how the government could reach its pledge to spend 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2035, according to a cabinet minister, who said it was a job for the “next government” to carry out. Speaking to a parliamentary committee, chief secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby [...]
How the boss of Zilch became UK fintech’s power broker July 8, 2026 Last year, Zilch founder Philip Belamant sat down with then-boss of Monzo, TS Anil. As the two friends caught up, Belamant was fizzing with ideas to turn his $2bn British fintech into a global powerhouse, according to sources familiar with the matter. Not long ago, Zilch had set up shop across the pond, and Belamant [...]
Government ‘mis-sold student loans’ to teenagers, MPs say July 7, 2026 A group of MPs have accused the government of knowingly mis-selling student loans for years to unsuspecting teenagers, after using adverts comparing repayments to mobile phone contracts and failing to properly inform them of certain conditions. The Department for Education (DfE) used a bundle of promotional materials comparing monthly student loans repayments to low-cost monthly items, [...]
Burnham told to launch £100bn tax reform package July 6, 2026 Andy Burnham has been urged to introduce sweeping tax reforms that could generate over £100bn in extra government revenue by a group of influential economists, which includes his own heavyweight adviser Jim O’Neill. A letter signed by O’Neill, who was formerly a Treasury minister and Goldman Sachs executive, urged the next Prime Minister to introduce [...]
Exclusive: Reynolds never met Thames Water investors before rejecting rescue deal July 1, 2026 Environment secretary Emma Reynolds never met the investors behind a proposed Thames Water rescue package before slapping down their deal out of hand last month, City AM can reveal. Reynolds, who is the minister responsible for water policy, has left officials in her department to meet representatives of a large creditors’ group, which includes investment [...]