By: Felix Armstrong

Felix Armstrong is a freelance journalist interning at City A.M. He is currently studying at the University of Cambridge, and has written for the Telegraph and the Times.

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London, Manchester and Edinburgh to bear the brunt of mansion tax

November 19, 2025

A mansion tax in next week’s Budget could stifle property markets and disproportionately harm homeowners in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, tax experts have warned. Rachel Reeves is reportedly planning a mansion tax raid on high-value properties, as she takes a “smorgasbord” approach to the Budget after last week’s dramatic income tax U-turn. The Chancellor has [...]
Brits on state pension to be caught by income tax for first time

November 14, 2025

All Brits on the full state pension will be dragged into paying income tax in 2027 for the first time, researchers have warned, amid growing speculation that thresholds will be frozen for an extended period. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank has warned that 100 per cent of those on the full state [...]
OBR should focus more on policy growth ‘upsides’ – says Tony Blair think tank

November 6, 2025

The Government must force the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to take more account of policy “upsides” when assessing an impact on growth, Tony Blair’s think tank has said. The Treasury watchdog should be required to be bolder in predicting growth to reward more ambitious economic policies, a report by the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) [...]
Pub closures reach new high as hospitality braces for Budget

November 6, 2025

Pubs and bars are closing at the fastest rate seen this century, fresh City AM analysis has found, as rising costs squeeze many in the hospitality sector to the point of collapse. The number of British pubs and bar businesses appointing liquidators or administrators surged to 449 in the first 10 months of the year, [...]
North Sea oil and gas production decline labelled an ’emergency’

November 5, 2025

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has declared an oil and gas “emergency” in the North East of Scotland as she pushes the Labour government to overturn its ban on new oil and gas licenses. Badenoch has pledged to “get Britain drilling again” in a new campaign in partnership with the Scottish Conservatives. The announcement marks the [...]
Will the Autumn Budget push up inflation?

October 30, 2025

For a few weeks, there was one thing Rachel Reeves appeared to speak about more than anything else: inflation. Earlier this month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed inflation hit 3.8 per cent in the year to September, nearly double the Bank of England’s target rate. The IMF and the OECD said the UK [...]
‘Unprecedented’ number of small businesses expect to shrink or close down

October 30, 2025

A record number of small businesses are expecting to shrink or close down in the next year, a leading industry group has warned, amid a “vicious” cycle of low growth and fears that next month’s Budget could cause more pain for businesses. Nearly one in three of the UK’s small businesses (30 per cent) expect [...]
Mortgage lending hits highest level since March amid pre-Budget rush

October 29, 2025

Net borrowing of mortgage debt rose to the highest level since March this year, money and credit statistics published by the Bank of England have shown, in signs that Brits are rushing to buy homes before any new property taxes are announced at the Budget. Net borrowing rose by £1.2bn to £5.5bn while mortgage approvals [...]
Is Brexit really to blame for the Chancellor’s growth headache?

October 23, 2025

As the government prepares the public psyche for substantial tax hikes at next month’s Budget, the Chancellor has taken a Brexit-shaped risk. Keir Starmer’s government has largely opted for caution over talking about relations with the European Union. The Prime Minister has insisted that re-opening the Brexit debate would bring only “turmoil” but he also [...]
Benefits to increase more than expected next April

October 22, 2025

Most state benefits will rise by 3.8 per cent next year in line with September’s rate of inflation, exceeding earlier predictions by the Treasury watchdog. September’s CPI inflation figures are used to calculate the increase to many welfare bills which take effect next April, including universal credit and personal independence payments (Pips). The rise is [...]

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Meet the Destrier, Bugatti’s most extreme one-off yet

By: Felix Armstrong

All 143 Articles

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