From CND to evangelist: Julia Pyke has nuclear ambitions for Sizewell C August 22, 2025 Julia Pyke has fended off judicial reviews and staunch local opposition, and waded through Britain’s unwieldy Treasury ‘Green Book’ process to get Sizewell C commissioned by the government. Now, she tells Ali Lyon, there’s just the small issue of building what will be the UK’s joint-largest power plant. It was in 1980s Lichfield – the [...]
New property tax will mean more over-65s living in family homes they don’t need August 21, 2025 More than half of Brits living in homes too big for them. We need incentives for over-65s to downsize, not punitive property taxes.
Week in Business: Will Reeves Launch a Massive Tax Raid on Property and Pensions? August 21, 2025 Christian May interrupts your holiday with grim news on another punishing round of tax hikes coming in the Autumn.
Services lead ‘fragile and uneven’ business activity rebound August 21, 2025 Business activity in the UK’s private sector enjoyed its strongest rebound in a year this month, but economists have cautioned the growth remains “fragile and uneven.” S&P’s Global flash UK composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reached 53.0 in August, up from 51.5 in July and marking the highest score in 12 months. Any score above [...]
Rachel Reeves’ stealth tax raid to slap extra £7,000 on high earners August 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves would force Britain’s high earners to face a mounting tax burden if she opts to extend the freeze on income tax thresholds in the autumn Budget. The Chancellor would slap an extra £7,000 in income tax on Brits earning over £100,000 if the freeze is maintained, analysis from wealth manager Rathbones reveals. An [...]
Work and study visas fall in push to reduce immigration August 21, 2025 Work visas issued to migrants have fallen by 36 per cent compared to last year, fresh data has revealed, as tightened rules on skilled workers and care providers have lowered the numbers of people arriving in the UK. The Labour government is under considerable pressure to cut net migration from previous peaks of nearly one [...]
Tax-free pension lump sum could be slashed to fill Labour’s black hole August 21, 2025 Tax-free lump sum withdrawals from pension pots could be slashed as Rachel Reeves scrambles for fresh ways to plug a £50bn hole in the public finances. The Chancellor is reportedly eyeing a cut to the amount of money pensioners can withdraw from their savings pot without paying tax to as little as £40,000. That would [...]
UK government borrowing since April hits £60bn August 21, 2025 The UK government borrowed a total of £1.1bn last month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), compared to £2.3bn last year and below the fiscal watchdog’s £2.6bn forecast. The total deficit hit £60bn in the months since April, which is £6.7bn more than in the same four-month period of 2024 and the third-highest [...]
One in ten London homes would be hit by ‘mansion tax’ August 20, 2025 A tenth of houses in London would be hit by a ‘mansion tax’ on the sale of houses above £1.5m, according to new data. In London, 10.9 per cent of houses are worth over £1.9m, according to Rightmove, compared to just 1.6 per cent of houses outside the capital, with prices ballooning in the last [...]
No more interest rate cuts expected as inflation runs ‘miles above target’ August 20, 2025 No further interest rate cuts are expected to be made this year after inflation in the year to July was higher than economists forecast. Markets had priced in a 50 per cent chance of an interest rate cut being made at the Bank of England’s November meeting before fresh price growth data was published on [...]