Parliamentary debates must stop being dictated by MPs’ train times April 28, 2025 When important parliamentary debates are being rushed on account of MPs' home times, something needs to change, writes Omar Salem.
EY: Two years of slow UK growth means ‘increased chances’ of tax rises April 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves may have to resort to reversing Labour manifesto tax pledges as UK growth fails to exceed one per cent for two years running, EY ITEM Club have said, in the latest blow to the chancellor’s fiscal plans The Chancellor has been warned by several forecasters that President Trump’s tariffs will hammer the UK [...]
Mervyn King hits out at Reeves’ ‘flawed’ fiscal rules April 25, 2025 Former Bank of England Governor Mervyn King has slammed forward-looking fiscal rules set by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Reeves has defended her rules on spending as essential for boosting investment on infrastructure as she is given more space to borrow. But King argued today in the House of Lords that her rules in fact means extra [...]
Reeves to say global trade should provide ‘security for working people’ April 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves will tell foreign finance ministers that global trade should provide “security for working people” as she prepares for talks with her US counterpart. The Chancellor is in Washington for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) spring meeting of finance ministers from the G7 and G20, and is due to sit down with US Treasury [...]
Week in Business: Why a UK-US trade deal won’t save the British economy April 24, 2025 The Chancellor's emergency mercy mission to the US could pay off, but it won't be enough to reverse the damage she's already done to the UK economy.
Crisis, debt and a £46bn bailout: Inside Natwest’s return to private ownership April 24, 2025 Natwest is set to end one of British banking’s longest running sagas, as the lender stands inches away from returning to private ownership for the first time in nearly two decades. The FTSE 100 giant has whittled the UK government’s share in the bank to under three per cent, with a full exit expected in [...]
US trade talks: Rachel Reeves insists UK won’t be ‘relaxing’ food standards April 23, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted the UK won’t be “relaxing” its food standards in a bid to secure a trade deal with the US. The Chancellor, who is in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings, spoke ahead of her expected talks with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Asked whether the UK government [...]
Ex-City minister calls for ‘urgent No10 summit’ with bosses and watchdogs April 23, 2025 A former City minister has called on the Prime Minister to convene an “urgent No10 summit” with the City of London and financial watchdogs in a bid to boost capital markets. During Prime Ministers’ Questions (PMQs), the Conservative MP John Glen asked Sir Keir Starmer to take the step to “steward our pension assets”. Glen, [...]
Reeves’ taxes hammer private sector as one of ‘lowest ever’ PMIs recorded April 23, 2025 Private sector output fell in April for the first time in a year and a half as firms reported “more of a struggle” to survive after Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax rises kicked in, S&P Global’s flagship survey has suggested. Businesses had been preparing for Reeves’ £20bn hike to employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) for the [...]
Tax hikes would ‘take strain’ as headroom shrinks April 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely announce a raft of tax increases to “take the strain” of higher public spending in areas including defence and health, leading economists have warned. The last Autumn Budget saw a historic rise of £40bn in taxes as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the fiscal watchdog, said the tax burden [...]