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Mel Stride: I would raise income tax in Rachel Reeves’ position October 7, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said he would raise income taxes if he were in Rachel Reeves’ position, facing a £30bn black hole in the public finances. Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory party conference in Manchester, Stride said raising income taxes was the “cleanest” tax hike option available. His comments will likely [...]
Labour’s tobacco bill risks empowering black market, warns shadow minister October 7, 2025 The Labour government’s proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill could hand a significant boost to criminal gangs and fuel the growing black market in illicit goods across the UK, the shadow policing minister has warned. Matt Vickers MP has told City AM that the legislation, aimed at curbing smoking and youth vaping, fails to address the [...]
Jenrick pledges to sack judges accused of pro-migration activism October 7, 2025 Robert Jenrick announced a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as “pro-migration bias” in the judiciary, vowing to remove so-called “activist” judges. Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, claims to have identified more than 30 judges, both full-time and part-time, who previously volunteered for or provided free legal services to open-border organisations. He told the crowd [...]
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos issues ‘urgent warning’ amid job cuts October 7, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos is to cut 20 per cent of the workforce at its Acetyls plant at Hull, it has been confirmed. In total, 60 jobs are set to be lost in what the group said was a “direct result of sky-high energy costs and anti-competitive trade practices”. Confirming the news, Ineos blamed “dirt-cheap [...]
Brits fear Rachel Reeves’ next Budget will make them worse off October 7, 2025 A majority of Britons believe Rachel Reeves’ next Budget will make them worse off while three in four have lost faith in the government’s growth mission, fresh polling reveals. The Labour government has made growing the UK economy its central mission in government in a bid to claw back support across the electorate. But the [...]
China spy row reveals a divided Whitehall October 7, 2025 The UK’s relationship with China has swung through various degrees of warmth in recent years, but there have been some recurring themes. When David Cameron and George Osborne hailed the “golden era” of UK-China relations more than a decade ago, critics accused the pair of naivety and even recklessness. Nick Timothy, who would go on [...]
Reform in poll surge as Starmer’s approval rating remains worst in UK October 6, 2025 Reform UK has extended its lead over Labour in the polls as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approval ratings remained the worst of any top British political figure despite rallying calls for voters to back the government in defeating Nigel Farage. The latest monthly City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll shows Nigel Farage’s Reform UK gaining two points [...]
Sales of central London properties suffer as buyers head to outer boroughs October 6, 2025 Overall demand for prime property steadied in the third quarter of the year on sales of mansions in south west boroughs, while central London sales fell. Prices have slumped by around a fifth in the past decade due to low demand, while an exodus of high net worth individuals and uncertainty around property taxes has [...]
Tories vow to ease IR35 rules and cut red tape for small businesses October 6, 2025 Identification checks for small businesses would be eased under a new Tory pledge to slash red tape and allow entrepreneurs to open bank accounts at a quicker pace. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, will tell party members that the Tories would make growth among small businesses central to wider economic plans as they would [...]
China spying case collapse leads to ‘interference’ accusations October 6, 2025 Senior officials have pointed fingers at the Labour government over the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Senior UK government figures told the Financial Times that the government fatally undermined the Chinese spying case in order to protect the UK’s commercial and [...]