Labour’s payments regulation overhaul more ‘reshuffle than reform’ October 28, 2025 The Labour government’s plan for a payments system revolution has fallen flat, a top trade body has warned, despite the Treasury’s promise of an “ambitious rethink” of regulatory structure. Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her National Payments Vision (NPV) in her 2024 Mansion House address where she said the plan would include “decisive action to progress [...]
Rachel Reeves alerts top investors on tax rises and spending cuts October 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sent a message to international investors on incoming tax hikes and spending cuts in an effort to ease market nerves ahead of this year’s Budget. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative – or ‘Davos in the Desert’ – in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Reeves prepared investors for a more difficult Budget next [...]
Retail sales falter as Budget tensions kick in October 27, 2025 Retail sales are set to decline at a faster pace in the weeks leading up to the November Budget, a new survey has indicated, as Brits hold out for extra taxes and higher prices. A Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey has suggested that retail sales could collapse in November, reflecting household fears about being [...]
Left-wing think tank urges Labour to amend Employment Rights Bill October 27, 2025 A left-leaning economics think tank that was the former workplace of Treasury ministers has called for a major change to be made to Labour’s flagship Employment Rights Bill in a last-ditch demand before workers’ rights are written into law. The Resolution Foundation, which was formerly led by Budget mastermind Torsten Bell, has called for a [...]
EY UK bounces back with growth in most divisions but consulting lags October 27, 2025 Big Four giant EY UK has seen a bounce back after its fee income grew by 2 per cent over the last financial year to £3.78bn, with the majority of its divisions seeing growth. The firm’s distributable profits before tax grew by over 3 per cent, from £653m in FY24 to £679m, while the giant also reported [...]
Looking for Growth? Look no further. October 27, 2025 The fury online is palpable, high-fliers feel undervalued, and ‘Britain is Broken’ has become the ridiculing punchline enjoyed by American crypto traders and digital nomads. Here though, at a mini arena in Greenwich on a Thursday night, Looking for Growth – LFG – is not a lost cause. Some attendees are unsure exactly what they [...]
Ballooning office rents price creative industries out of UK cities October 27, 2025 The UK’s creative industries are under threat from a spike in rents and a shortage of suitable space, according to a new report. With rents up a third since 2019 and growth in the creative industries stalling, businesses are being priced out of urban areas as workspace costs soar and margins tighten. “If these threats [...]
Income tax raid tops Brits’ list of Budget fears October 27, 2025 Brits are more fearful of an income tax raid at the Budget than a rise in VAT or stricter rules on inheritance, a survey has found, with mounting speculation now weighing on people up and down the country. Rachel Reeves has signalled that she will raise taxes next month despite saying last year she would [...]
FTSE 100 giant Natwest shares surge to 15-year high October 27, 2025 Natwest shares rallied to a 15-year high on Monday morning after the lending giant’s post-results stock boom continued into the new week. The FTSE 100 titan’s shares were up over one per cent in early trading to 578.60p. It follows the group netting £2.2bn in operating profit before tax for the third quarter – a [...]
Supermarkets call on Chancellor to ‘bring inflation to heel’ October 27, 2025 Britain’s largest supermarkets have called on Rachel Reeves to exclude all shops from upcoming changes to to business rates, warning that any hikes to their input costs would further stoke food inflation that is already at over double the Bank of England’s target. In an open letter to the Chancellor, bosses from the UK’s nine [...]