Defence: Building submarines is ‘blueprint’ for UK growth, Starmer says March 20, 2025 Building new submarines in Barrow-in-Furness is a “blueprint” for how increasing defence spending can boost prosperity across the UK, the Prime Minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer made the comments ahead of a visit to the town at the heart of Britain’s submarine-building industry. Sir Keir is expected to lay the keel for the next [...]
Do we need to rethink Brexit’s impact on UK-EU trade? March 20, 2025 With the weekend approaching, allow me to furnish you with a classic conversation starter for the pub or a dinner party; have you heard that the OBR might have overstated the impact of Brexit on the UK’s trade with the EU? In my experience this kind of line serves as a perfect icebreaker or an [...]
UK needs new settlement with EU, business group boss urges March 20, 2025 The UK’s businesses need a new settlement with the EU, the boss of one of the biggest business groups is urging. Shevaun Haviland, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), is calling for growth-driven improvements to the UK-EU relationship. It comes ahead of the organisation’s 2025 Driving International Trade Conference in central London, on [...]
Grangemouth: Green future for oil refinery needs £3.5bn, report finds March 19, 2025 Delivering a green future for the Grangemouth oil refinery will require around £3.5bn in private investment, a report has found. The long-awaited Project Willow study, which itself cost £1.5m, sets out nine options for the future of the industrial cluster in central Scotland. Hundreds of jobs are set to be lost this year when the [...]
PMQs: Starmer won’t repeat pledge to unfreeze income tax thresholds March 19, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “plotting stealth taxes” after he failed to repeat Rachel Reeves’ pledge to unfreeze income tax thresholds. The Prime Minister was pushed on his economic plans ahead of next week’s spring statement – which Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded an “emergency budget”. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, [...]
Don’t ask business to ‘shoulder more burden’, CBI chief urges March 19, 2025 The government should not “ask businesses to shoulder any more of a burden”, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) chief has warned in the wake of the welfare cuts. Work and pensions secretary Lilz Kendall announced on Tuesday a raft of welfare measures she said will help bring more working age people back into jobs. [...]
Pay awards stagnate ahead of national insurance hike March 19, 2025 Pay growth at UK businesses is stagnating as businesses look to cut costs ahead of the Chancellor’s upcoming tax hikes. Figures compiled by HR data and insights provider Brightmine show that pay growth slumped following Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, and have since stagnated at three per cent. The current figure now aligns with the Office [...]
Labour is targeting the disabled not because it’s hard, but because it’s easy March 19, 2025 Labour's cut to disability benefits is not the mark of a government making "tough decisions", but desperate ones, writes Will Cooling.
Labour MPs warned ‘perfect storm’ of retail costs could benefit Reform UK March 19, 2025 Labour MPs are being warned a “perfect storm” of costs facing the retail sector could see seats lost to Reform UK. New analysis from the Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA) has revealed Labour holds 24 of the UK’s 30 constituencies with the highest numbers of voters working in retail, according to an Electoral Calculus survey in [...]
Welfare reforms: What are the politics of Labour’s benefits changes? March 19, 2025 Over the past few weeks, it’s been hard to avoid reports of the government preparing the ground for a string of changes to the UK’s welfare system. Call it kite flying, pitch rolling, or testing the waters, when work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall got to her feet in the House of Commons on Tuesday, [...]