Treasury confirms scrapping of Lifetime ISA but industry questions remain June 24, 2026 The government has confirmed it is replacing the hotly debated Lifetime ISA with a new product aimed solely at first time buyers, but industry figures are questioning the new framework. In a consultation published on Tuesday, the government confirmed the new product, dubbed the ‘First Time Buyer ISA’, (FTB ISA) will only be available to [...]
LLPs remain under watchful eye – especially from the taxman June 18, 2026 Despite dodging Budget day taxes, the UK’s limited liability partnership (LLP) model is still facing intense scrutiny, this time from HMRC, which just had a good result from the top court this week, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The LLP model, used by professional services such as law firms and accountancy firms, came into force 25 years [...]
Revolut pays compensation for waking customer up with push notifications June 17, 2026 The Treasury might be hoping to ease the Financial Ombudsman Service’s workload but there has been no slowdown in perplexing cases. In this week’s column, Samuel Norman tells the tale of Revolut and a sleep-starved customer. Is there an inappropriate time for a push notification? There is, according to one bank customer. Revolut found itself [...]
Healey condemns Reeves: ‘Our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury’ June 16, 2026 John Healey has delivered a stinging criticism of Rachel Reeves’ handling of defence spending, warning that the UK’s enemies “do not follow timetables set by the Treasury”. In his resignation speech in parliament, the former defence secretary took aim at Sir Keir Starmer and Reeves for failing to fully fund the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), [...]
Bank of England’s Bailey defends bond sale programme June 15, 2026 Andrew Bailey has launched a robust defence of the Bank of England’s controversial bond sale programme, arguing it will provide the firepower for another round of quantitative easing in a market downturn. Writing in The Times, Bailey argued the central bank’s move to hoover up UK government bonds, known as gilts, in the wake of [...]
‘Nothing is straightforward’: Market analysts warn of US-Iran deal complications June 15, 2026 Top market analysts warned on Monday that “nothing is straight forward” as euphoria spread across European equities after a confirmed peace deal between the US and Iran. Stock markets opened in the green as investors returned to a risk-on mentality after Pakistan announced an agreement between the two nations and Donald Trump declared the oil [...]
George Osborne: Manchesterism is a real thing but Burnham ‘only part of the story’ June 10, 2026 Former Chancellor George Osborne has said that mayor Andy Burnham should take some credit for Manchester’s high growth, defending Manchesterism as a “real thing”. Speaking to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, he defended his move to begin devolving fiscal powers to Manchester during the Coalition government years under his “Northern Powerhouse” initiative. He [...]
Savvy the Squirrel and ‘simpler regulation’: New City minister reaffirms Labour’s investment push June 4, 2026 The government’s new City minister has doubled down on the government’s commitment to overhaul the UK’s investment culture and encourage more Brits to enter the stock market, including its new squirrel-themed nationwide campaign. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Blake, who took over from Lucy Rigby three weeks ago, noted that “too many people have [...]
Vulnerable bank customers could face ‘higher barriers’ to redress in Treasury overhaul May 26, 2026 Warnings are being raised over a planned Treasury shake-up of financial services rules after an impact assessment revealed vulnerable customers could be excluded from receiving compensation when wronged. The government unveiled its Enhancing Financial Services Bill at the King’s Speech, which paved the way for reform to consumer redress protections through changes in the Consumer Credit [...]
End quantitative tightening now May 26, 2026 Ending active quantitative tightening is not monetary loosening. The Bank must stop adding avoidable pressure to the gilt market.