FTSE 100 Live: Vodafone shares lead blue-chip rally; Unemployment rises November 11, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. What are you looking forward to more – Black Friday or Budget day? They are two vital days that UK retailers are bracing for in this month’s calendar, both of which can provide a major boost to firms – or crushing disappointment. Retail sales today show another [...]
Brits confidence in European economy outpaces UK as Budget fears grow November 11, 2025 Brits have admitted to having more confidence in the strength of the European and global economy than the UK as Budget fears consume the country. Fresh Barclays research has revealed Brits confidence in the European economy has ranked above the UK for the tenth consecutive month. Of the 2,000 surveyed, 22 per cent had faith [...]
Voters say Rachel Reeves should resign if income taxes are hiked November 11, 2025 A majority of voters believe Rachel Reeves should resign as Chancellor if she breaks a key Labour manifesto commitment by raising income tax. Labour’s 2024 election manifesto said the party would not put up taxes on working people, including VAT and income tax. But in the lead-up to a crucial Budget where the Chancellor is [...]
I’m 31 and pay thousands into my pension: taxing my contributions could be the last straw November 11, 2025 The Chancellor’s threat of a a two per cent national insurance tax on salary sacrifice contributions above £2,000 is deeply unfair, says Martin Kimber People tend to look at me like I’ve just admitted to collecting antique Victorian dolls when I tell them I sacrifice 15 per cent of my salary into a pension. However, [...]
Retailers hit by subdued October as Budget threat looms November 11, 2025 UK retailers suffered a “subdued” October as Brits tightened their pockets ahead of what is expected to be a tax-heavy Autumn Budget. Retail sales increased 1.6 per cent year-on-year but remained below the 12-month average of 2.1 per cent, marking the weakest growth since May. The new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and [...]
Barclay family’s Very Group snapped up by US private equity giant November 10, 2025 Online retailer The Very Group has been snapped up by a US private equity giant, ending an over 20 year tenure of ownership under the Barclay family. The group will now be controlled by Washington-based Carlyle alongside Abu Dhabi-based investment fund International Media Investments (IMI). It marks the latest offshoring of businesses for the Barclay [...]
Legal sector defies economic headwinds with rising headcount and profits November 10, 2025 Despite ongoing pressure on salaries and increases in employment taxes, legal firms have reported an average headcount increase of nearly 4 per cent over the past year. According to the ‘law firm benchmarking report’ by professional service firm Crowe, the headcount growth was concentrated among fee earners, but nearly half of firms reported either no [...]
Rachel Reeves concedes manifesto pledges may be dropped November 10, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested that Labour manifesto commitments will be ditched amid a “significantly worse” economic inheritance than expected last year. In an interview with the BBC, Reeves said she would prefer to increase government spending on infrastructure rather than cut taxes for Britons. When asked whether the government would stick to manifesto commitments, [...]
Nigel Farage: VAT threshold should be raised November 10, 2025 Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has hit out at suggestions that the VAT threshold for businesses should be lowered from its £90,000 threshold. Reports have suggested that Chancellor Rachel Reeves could lower the threshold at which businesses must be registered for VAT to £30,000 in a phased approach, a policy backed by several think tank wonks [...]
FTSE 100 and S&P 500 circle record highs as US shutdown cools November 10, 2025 Global markets sprung back to life on Monday after AI jitters and the US government shutdown helped trigger widespread sell-offs last week. The S&P 500 – which tracks the 500 leading companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States – jumped over one per cent to 6,804.80p at Wall Street’s opening bell. The tech-heavy [...]