Some meat, yoghurt and vegetables have doubled in price in a year, new data shows May 16, 2023 Some meat, yoghurt and vegetables are among items that have doubled in price compared to a year ago, according to new figures from consumer group Which? The group urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to intervene on behalf of struggling consumers as its latest data shows food inflation remaining at “shockingly high levels”. The figures come ahead of Tuesday’s [...]
More than 6m extra Brits to be caught by higher income tax rate net in just a few years May 16, 2023 More than an additional 6m Brits are poised to be caught in the higher income tax net compared to the early 1990s in what has been characterised as the steepest tax hike in four decades, new research out today reveals. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision as Boris Johnson’s Chancellor to freeze tax bands for several [...]
UK isn’t alone in this recession merry-go-round – just look at Europe May 16, 2023 It’s worth remembering that Britain isn’t some sort of pariah in the rich world that’s undergoing a tough economic slump, which is threatening to extend the growth slow down since the 2008 financial crisis. Europe’s major economies, led by Germany, its powerhouse, are also in the teeth of a slump. Numbers out last week revealed [...]
Why university spinouts are a battleground in the government’s ‘science and tech superpower’ plans May 16, 2023 Top tech investors and policymakers are looking to boost the flow of cash into a new wave of start-ups coming out of British universities, as ministers lean on the private sector to turn the UK into a “tech and science superpower”. Universities have long been viewed as fertile breeding grounds for tech start-ups by private [...]
To win younger voters, Labour needs to weed out the anti-housing nimbys May 16, 2023 Labour wants to portray itself as the party of housing. But to succeed, Keir Starmer will have to manage nymbies on his backbenches, showing he's serious about building new homes, writes Elena Siniscalco
A CEO-style figure managing Whitehall would make achieving real reform possible May 16, 2023 Our ministers can't enact reform because they're often blocked by an outdated Whitehall system. We should improve it with a CEO-style figure who would manage departments effectively, writes Tim Knox
Our tax system is not as bad as we think – but it won’t be our magic bullet for growth May 16, 2023 Our taxes are not attracting nor repelling many businesses; they sit somewhere in the middle. It's not that bad, but we shouldn't rely on our tax system to boost our economy any time soon, writes Tim Sarson
City of London grandees lay out vision for UK markets after bruising few months May 15, 2023 A group of City of London grandees are drawing up a “new market model” for the UK’s capital markets after a bruising few months in which the capital has been rocked by negative headlines and a slew of firms heading towards New York.
HSBC aims to grow its Asian business amid pressure from top shareholder Ping An May 15, 2023 HSBC has unveiled plans to bolster revenues in its Asia business amid mounting pressure from its top shareholder to improve performance across the region. The banking giant told investors it is aiming for revenues in Asia’s wealth business to grow by up to 9% in the next three to four years. It also wants to grow [...]
Restart game? EU approves Microsoft’s $69bn Activision bid weeks after UK rejected deal May 15, 2023 Microsoft’s $68.7bn bid for Activision Blizzard has been approved by EU regulators today, just weeks after the UK’s competition agency blocked the deal. The EU decided to approve the deal after remedies were put in place to address competition concerns, with the European Commission saying Microsoft offered 10-year free licensing deals to customers. “These licenses [...]
