North Sea windfall tax causing ‘irreversible damage’ says oil giant May 27, 2025 The boss of Enquest has slammed the windfall tax on oil and gas firms as doing “irreversible damage” to the industry and “driving job losses across the sector”. Amjad Bseisu, Enquest’s chief executive, called for the North Sea tax to be scrapped in an operations update on Tuesday after claiming it makes the UK a [...]
Company bosses hit pause on growth plans after tariff shock May 27, 2025 Top UK business leaders have sounded the alarm on geopolitical tensions, warning that trade uncertainties are threatening their growth prospects. Nearly half of UK chief executives admitted to being “very or extremely concerned” about the impact of tariffs on their company’s operations and sales in the upcoming year. Concerns have led to company chiefs slamming [...]
Britain’s start-ups reeling from economic pressure May 27, 2025 Start-up businesses are feeling the sting of an uncertain economic landscape as fresh research shows new firms are employing fewer staff than ever before. The average number of staff for a new firm had slumped to 2.64, down from 3.5 in 2017 according to Cynergy Bank’s latest Business Births and Deaths Index. The research, which [...]
Starmer plays a risky game on welfare reform May 27, 2025 Rightly or wrongly, Labour decided that the first signal they should send as a new government was that they wouldn’t duck tough economic decisions. The cut to the winter fuel allowance was offered up as the ultimate proof of their seriousness; politically difficult but, we were told, financially necessary. A direct line was drawn between [...]
New warning over ‘stealth’ £9bn income tax raid May 27, 2025 The government is under fire over its “stealth tax bombshell” as hundreds of thousands of Brits are set to be dragged into higher tax bands by the end of the decade. As many as 1.9m workers will see their pay fall into higher tax brackets by 2030 as the bands fail to keep pace with [...]
Starmer’s bid to ease welfare cuts piles pressure on Rachel Reeves May 26, 2025 Keir Starmer has told his cabinet to jettison the two-child benefit cap, according to reports over the weekend, in a move that piles pressure on the Treasury and chancellor Rachel Reeves. The cap, which was introduced by the Conservative party a decade ago, prevents low-income families from receiving additional universal credit after the first two [...]
Global markets hold breath as Trump draws out EU trade talks May 26, 2025 Donald Trump has global investor sentiment hanging on his every word once again, as European markets rallied on Monday after the President retreated on his latest tariff tirade against the European Union. Trump agreed to extend his trade talks deadline with the EU by over a month, which comes after he threatened to slap a [...]
As Labour chases Reform, they’re bleeding votes on the left May 25, 2025 Just two weeks after Reform UK’s local election triumph, the government announced a major crackdown on immigration. But while Labour scrambles to neutralise the threat from the right, it risks losing another, just as substantial, cohort to its left, argues Fonie Mitsopoulou. The electorate doesn’t love Labour at the moment. Recent polls indicate that of [...]
London vs New York: Who will win the fintech IPO war? May 24, 2025 A battle with New York awaits as Rachel Reeves sets her eyes on London fintech IPOs. The Chancellor has courted top fintech darlings in her attempt to boost listings on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as a fleet of firms are flirting with floating in the near future. Monzo is reportedly consulting with investment bankers on [...]
Week in Business: Will Starmer sack Rachel Reeves? May 23, 2025 Cracks are appearing in Labour's economic strategy - will Keir Starmer roll the dice and look for a new Chancellor to change course?