Labour’s assault on jobs will undermine growth November 4, 2025 Rachel Reeves is engaged in a complicated dance with the Office for Budget Responsibility in the run up to her second Budget. When the fiscal watchdog presents its scorecard on the Chancellor’s plans – and on wider government policies – the music will stop and we’ll see whether Reeves pulls off a surprising lift, or [...]
Starmer urged to back journalism as AI erodes trust in UK media November 3, 2025 Britain’s media leaders have urged the Prime Minister to take decisive action to protect trusted journalism from a rising tide of misinformation, warning that the future of the country’s news ecosystem is at risk. In a letter to Keir Starmer, senior figures from the BBC, Sky, ITN, and the News Media Association (NMA), which represents [...]
Nigel Farage walks back on tax cut pledges after predicting ‘economic collapse’ November 3, 2025 Nigel Farage has abandoned several major tax cut pledges as the Reform leader predicted an “economic collapse” would trigger a general election as soon as 2027. Farage distanced himself from the party’s previous promise to introduce tax cuts worth £90bn, including by raising the tax-free personal allowance to £20,000, blaming the u-turn on ballooning government [...]
Labour to spend £10m on tackling EV charging blackspots November 3, 2025 The government has unveiled a £10m fund to help expand England’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network, targeting grid-constrained sites on motorways and major A-roads where power access has slowed progress. The funding will support projects that allow chargers to run off-grid or with minimal grid connection, using renewable energy and battery storage to deliver ultra-rapid [...]
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says high tax UK economy is ‘doomed’ November 3, 2025 Michael O’Leary has said that the UK economy is “doomed to continue to fail” until the tax burden starts to come down. Asked on Sky News about what advice he would offer ahead of the Budget, the Ryanair chief said Rachel Reeves should reduce Air Passenger Duty (APD) and reverse “crazy” planned hikes to the [...]
Rachel Reeves’ banking reforms ‘unlikely to be transformative’ November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ financial services growth mission faces a major blow with top City voices warning her regulatory reforms won’t be transformative. The Chancellor unveiled her Leeds Reform package intended to “rewire the financial services industry” in July this year. Whilst the moves were cheered by industry bigwigs, analysts have raised concerns the changes will fail [...]
Businesses face new ‘right to work’ compliance burden as gig economy checks loom November 3, 2025 The UK government is moving to extend mandatory ‘right to work’ checks to cover individuals hired under a ‘worker’s contract’, in a move to address gaps in the law in the gig economy. The Home Office launched a consultation last week as it seeks to clamp down on illegal working. As a result, for the [...]
Autumn Budget could ‘exacerbate’ manufacturing challenges November 3, 2025 Fears that the UK manufacturing industry’s recovery could be “short-lived” have jumped as firms brace for a painful Autumn Budget. The latest S&P Global’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 49.7 in October, marking a 12-month high for the sector. But this remained stubbornly below the all-important 50.0 threshold, which indicates whether a [...]
Rachel Reeves considering ‘exit tax’ on wealthy Brits fleeing the UK November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves is looking at a tax on wealthy Brits leaving the UK and a mansion tax, as last ditch levers to pull ahead of the Budget. The Times reported on a possible 20 per cent “settling-up charge” on business assets, which is the rate of Capital Gains Tax (CGT). It is thought that the [...]
Reeves urged to fix Britain’s ‘broken credit system’ that’s failing millions of renters November 3, 2025 A coalition of MPs, lenders, fintechs and charities have urged Rachel Reeves to fix the UK’s “broken credit system”, warning that millions of renters are being locked out of home ownership. The Financial Freedom for Everyone campaign, which includes The Money Charity and Clear Score, sent an open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’, calling on [...]