Retail sales rise unexpectedly despite Budget tax fears October 18, 2024 Retail sales came in ahead of expectations.
‘Build baby build’: Break infrastructure ‘inertia’ to boost growth, report urges October 18, 2024 Ministers have been urged to break Britain’s infrastructure “inertia” in a bid to turbocharge the planning system and ramp up growth, according to a think tank report. Streamlining the consent process, empowering key decisions in the national interest, fixing ambiguous laws, and updating policy documents would all contribute to the UK’s ability to build infrastructure [...]
Landlords urge Reeves to offer Budget tax breaks amid ‘market uncertainty’ October 17, 2024 Private landlords groups have written to Rachel Reeves to urge the government to offer tax breaks amid “market uncertainty” ahead of the Budget. In a letter to the Chancellor prior to the 30 October fiscal statement, representative bodies including the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said their members face “uncertainty on a number of fronts” [...]
Ministers to speed up energy ‘skills passport’ amid worker shortages October 17, 2024 The energy secretary will speed up oil and gas workers being able to transition to jobs in the renewable energy industry via a “skills passport” as workforce shortages are “hindering” the sector. Energy security and net zero secretary Ed Miliband confirmed his department will “provide project management advice” to Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and Renewable [...]
Legal & General-backed London data centre finally gets planning approval October 16, 2024 Local government ministers have unanimously approved planning proposals for what is set to be one of London’s largest data centres. The £750m development in the Newham borough of London is joint-funded by asset management firm Legal and General (L&G) and digital infrastructure investor Goldacre. It will be able to deliver from 77 up to 90 megawatts of [...]
When it comes to national insurance, the government is pulling a fast one October 16, 2024 One of the many problems the government has got itself into over tax rises that may or may not appear in the upcoming Budget is an oversimplification of where the cost of a certain tax falls. Ministers and their supporters talk about Capital Gains Tax as if it only lands on rich people selling off [...]
UK and EU energy giants call for post-Brexit North Sea ‘green power hub’ October 15, 2024 UK and EU energy firms are urging their governments to overhaul the post-Brexit trading set up in a bid to construct a North Sea “green power hub” and unlock investment. Some 20 top power firms and lobby groups have written an open letter to European and British energy ministers to urge them to prioritise a [...]
Employer National Insurance hike could risk jobs amid 95,0000 vacancies October 15, 2024 Increasing employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) could pose a risk to jobs amid some 95,000 vacancies across pubs and restaurants, a hospitality lobby group has warned. Data released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today revealed there are a “stubbornly high” 95,000 openings across the sector, including in venues, cafes and eateries. Hospitality UK [...]
Bibby Stockholm: Profit rises for asylum seeker barge ahead of closure October 15, 2024 The Bibby Stockholm barge, which houses asylum seekers off the coast of Dorset, continued to turn a profit in 2023, it has been revealed. The three-storey vessel has posted a pre-tax profit of £167,035 for the 12 months, down from the £421,701 it reported for 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show its turnover [...]
Entrepreneurs ‘can’t be in doubt’ about our growth pledge, Reynolds argues October 15, 2024 Entrepreneurs who signed an open letter warning about the impact of hiking capital gains tax “can’t be in any doubt” about Labour’s commitment to economic growth, Jonathan Reynolds told City AM. The business and trade secretary was responding to a letter signed by a group of 500 British entrepreneurs, including the founders of Signal AI, [...]