Number of migrants arriving in UK after crossing Channel passes 5,000 March 22, 2025 More than 5,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year, latest figures show. Some 341 people made the journey in six boats on Thursday, bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 5,025. This is the earliest point in the year that crossings have reached [...]
‘Nothing off the table’ over possible troop deployment for Kyiv, No10 says March 22, 2025 Western military planning to enforce a potential ceasefire in Ukraine is set to intensify in London next week as No10 said “nothing is off the table” over possible troop deployment for Kyiv. No10 said “thousands” of personnel would be required to support any operation whether by “sea, on land or in the air” as allies [...]
Chancellor rules out ‘tax and spend’ policies ahead of spring statement March 22, 2025 The Chancellor has ruled out “tax and spend” policies ahead of her spring statement next week. Rachel Reeves is under pressure to increase taxes or cut spending to meet the financial rules she set at the budget in October amid disappointing growth figures and higher-than-expected borrowing. Figures released on Friday came as a further blow, [...]
Walls close in for Rachel Reeves as borrowing shoots up March 21, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s headroom is shrinking as government borrowing in February exceeded the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) prediction, new data showed. Reeves has insisted that financial prudence is key to the government’s economic agenda. But the latest data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests she has less headroom than expected. The [...]
Inheritance tax receipts reach record high March 21, 2025 Inheritance tax receipts totalled £7.6bn in the last 11 months, a record high and surpassing last year’s full-year total of £7.5bn. Data from HMRC revealed today that the amount paid in tax was an 11.8 per cent increase from the same period last year. “It may only affect a small percentage of estates, but that [...]
Wetherspoons: Pub group hikes dividend despite cost warning March 21, 2025 Pub giant J D Wetherspoon has reported a dip in profits in its half-year results despite an uplift in sales, while chairman Tim Martin warned that rising labour costs and tax disparities are set to hit the pub industry hard. Its share price fell more than seven per cent in early trades. Like-for-like sales rose [...]
UK ambassadors to have growth ‘KPIs’, foreign secretary tells trade summit March 21, 2025 The UK’s ambassadors will have “KPIs that contribute to our economic growth” as diplomats shift to a more economic mindset, the foreign secretary has said. David Lammy told an audience of businesses that he wants the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to become the “international delivery arm of the government’s missions, the first of [...]
Ukraine peacekeeping talks reaching ‘military plan’ stage, says Starmer March 20, 2025 Talks on the Ukraine peacekeeping force are reaching the stage of a “military plan” aimed at “keeping the skies safe”, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister has said the “timetable now is coming into focus”, and that if a deal comes to fruition, the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ needs to be ready [...]
Week in Business: Is Keir Starmer leading the UK into recession? March 20, 2025 Following the PM's punchy op-ed in City AM, Editor Christian May gives his reaction to Starmer's article and puts the Prime Minister's prose in context.
UK wage growth remains hot as Bank of England set to decide on interest rates March 20, 2025 Wage growth has continued to soar, new figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that annual regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 5.9 per cent between November 2024 and January 2025. Total pay growth, which includes bonuses, increased by 5.8 per cent. “Overall pay growth remains relatively strong, with pay growth high in [...]