Oil price climbs above $90 as Iran says US diplomacy ‘isn’t possible’ August 31, 2026 The price of oil is creeping higher after the US launched strikes at Iranian rocket launchers that were reportedly preparing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – climbed towards $91 per barrel after strikes from the US marked the first exchange of fire in [...]
Treasury ‘tells Healey’ to consider tax on banks and oil August 30, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has been presented with a plan to tax oil firms and banks further as bosses in the sectors have posted huge profits, according to reports. Healey may look to tax businesses at this year’s Budget in order to rebuild a partly-eroded £22.7bn fiscal buffer, and fill spending pledges for defence and the [...]
Lord Walker calls for Healey to cut business taxes August 30, 2026 Iceland boss Lord Richard Walker has urged Andy Burnham and John Healey to cut taxes for businesses and to stop focusing on the cost of living. Walker, who backed Labour at the last election, said Healey should ease costs for employers. The supermarket chief was the cost of living tsar under Sir Keir Starmer’s government [...]
‘War on wealth creation’: capital gains tax raid would lose government money, Tories argue August 28, 2026 A fresh capital gains tax raid on Britain’s wealthiest would ultimately lose the government money, according to new Conservative analysis of Treasury data. Internal government modelling suggests that the top rate of capital gains tax (CGT) is already too high and hiking it further would lead to lower tax receipts. Figures presented to the Labour [...]
The real scrutiny of Burnham begins now August 28, 2026 Burnham's honeymood period has been further bolstered by positive economic news. As Parliament returns, now is the time for bold moves.
Mike Ashley slams Burnham’s ‘populist’ plans to revive high street August 27, 2026 Retail tycoon Mike Ashley has blasted Andy Burnham’s proposals to revive the British high street as “populist” and “too little too late”. The billionaire Sports Direct and Frasers Group founder has written to the Prime Minister accusing him of failing to tackle the cost of living with “delusional” policies. The causes of the UK’s rising [...]
Neets dip below one million as Labour blamed for youth unemployment August 27, 2026 The number of Neets, who are young people not in employment, education or training, has fallen marginally below the one million mark, the UK’s official data body said. The Office for National Statistics said it estimated the number of people aged between 16 and 24 out of work to be about 981,000 in the three [...]
Reform to slash HMRC officials’ pay if taxpayers wait too long August 26, 2026 HMRC officials would be fined and dismissed if they keep taxpayers waiting too long to deal with government services under a Reform UK government. If Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister, customer services officers at the tax collector would have their pay tied to performance levels and be required to keep waiting times to below 30 [...]
Burnham pledges to tackle ‘cost of business’ as firms fear Budget tax raid August 26, 2026 Andy Burnham has pledged to help tackle the “cost of business” as he looks to head off fears that the private sector will be hit with another punishing tax raid at the Budget. Burnham said he wants to “make life easier” for people and businesses as he prepares for his first Budget under the new [...]
Lloyds and Natwest flaunt social credentials as fears grow of Burnham tax grab August 26, 2026 Lloyds and Natwest are flaunting their community credentials and pledging a raft of new social investment initiatives as fears grow that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will launch a punishing tax raid on the sector with the government’s first Budget. The two lenders are among a group of top UK banks looking to prove they can [...]