Labour business conference with Reeves and Reynolds postponed following low demand June 4, 2025 Labour has put its £5,000-a-ticket business conference with planned appearances from Rachel Reeves and Jonathan Reynolds on ice, with the Financial Times reporting low demand for the enterprise event. Invitations to the event, seen by the FT, had touted a “first of its kind” agenda which would give industry figures a “unique opportunity to engage [...]
UK trade deals to lift growth, KPMG says June 4, 2025 UK growth could be higher than expected due to trade deals agreed with the US and the European Union, a City consultancy has said. Most forecasters downgraded the UK’s economic outlook for the year in the wake of President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’, with the IMF and other major forecasters warning the UK was set to [...]
Trump tariffs: UK to dodge 50 per cent steel and aluminium levies June 4, 2025 President Trump exempted UK industry from a doubling of the rate of steel and aluminium tariffs up to 50 per cent, but businesses will still face a 25 per cent levy until a new trading relationship with the US is finalised. Though industry bosses had been braced to be hit by the 50 per cent [...]
Why the UK investment system needs a complete overhaul June 4, 2025 Nick Saunders, CEO of Webull UK, an online investment platform, says the UK must completely overhaul its investment system if it wants to drive growth. Like a rickety Edwardian chair with a broken leg, the retail investment infrastructure in the UK is so badly damaged that not even the most optimistic Bargain Hunt contestant would [...]
Thames Water mess could soon swamp ministers – and taxpayers June 4, 2025 Water takes the path of least resistance, and so – on this occasion as least – does private equity. Apparently deterred by the increasingly hostile political and regulatory environment KKR, the US giant which secured ‘preferred bidder status’ for a takeover of Thames Water, pulled the plug on its £4bn investment over the weekend. They [...]
Britain’s biggest growth threat is giving into doomsterism June 4, 2025 As the Spending Review looms over Westminster, Britain must not just lie down and accept decline, writes Simon Clarke.
Spending review: Rachel Reeves pledges £15.6bn for regional transport June 4, 2025 The government has made its biggest spending announcement since Labour’s drubbing at the local elections in May, with a pledge from Chancellor Rachel Reeves to double investment in local transport over the next five years. A £15.6bn cash injection will form a major pillar of the 11 June spending review, which the Treasury says would [...]
British Steel braces for fresh Trump tariff blow June 3, 2025 The British steel industry is gearing up for the hammer blow of fresh US tariffs after Downing Street could not confirm that steelmakers would be exempt from the levies. The UK government unveiled a trade deal with the US last month, under which metal exports would be exempted from punitive tariffs. But negotiations on the [...]
Klarna and Zilch shrug off buy now, pay later crackdown with card launch June 3, 2025 Klarna and Zilch have shrugged off a government crackdown on by buy now pay later payments after launching landmark partnerships with payments giant Visa to introduce physical cards. Commerce network Klarna has begun piloting “Klarna Card” which aims to offer consumers greater spending flexibility without the pitfalls of traditional credit cards. The card will use [...]
Andrew Bailey: Surveys point to weak UK economy June 3, 2025 Andrew Bailey has backed the Bank of England’s low growth outlook, highlighting dreary business surveys which indicate the UK economy looks set to weaken. In an appearance in front of the Treasury Select Committee, the Bank Governor said growth of 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year was a “good number” but [...]