Hunt on course to miss fiscal targets despite £55bn of tightening, Deutsche Bank bet November 20, 2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is on course to miss his fiscal goals due to a weaker growth outlook than forecast by the UK’s budget watchdog, an investment bank has said. According to Sanjay Raja, senior economist at Deutsche Bank, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) GDP growth forecasts are too optimistic. Last week, the OBR said [...]
Zahawi says government still wants pre-election tax cuts November 20, 2022 The government still wants to cut taxes before the next General Election, Tory party chair Nadhim Zahawi has said. Zahawi said Jeremy Hunt “wouldn’t have a hope in hell” of cutting taxes before inflation dramatically reduces, but that the chancellor’s priority is to slash the tax burden once it has. Hunt moved to hike taxes [...]
Accelerate pension rules overhaul to spur investment, says Phoenix chief November 20, 2022 Ministers must accelerate reform to pension and insurance rules in order to unlock a wave of private investment from the City, the chief of Phoenix Group has said.
Collapsed crypto exchange FTX owes top 50 creditors $3.1bn November 20, 2022 Collapsed crypto exchange FTX has revealed it owes its 50 biggest creditors nearly $3.1bn, as it presses ahead with bankruptcy proceedings in the US.
Public finances in view after Hunt’s £55bn of spending cuts and tax hikes November 20, 2022 Traders will be keen to examine fresh public finances figures out this week to get a sense of the UK’s debt pile that pushed chancellor Jeremy Hunt into £55bn of spending cuts and tax hikes last week. London’s premier FTSE 100 index registered a solid performance last week, adding 0.92 per cent to close at [...]
Wilko reviewing management of financing ahead of vital Christmas season November 20, 2022 Discounter Wilko has said it has a strong relationship with lenders, amid newspaper reports that it is urgently attempting to secure a £30m cash injection. The high street chain was reported to be in emergency talks with alternative lenders over rescue cash, off the back of a dramatic leap in interest rates, according to The [...]
Starmer vows to abolish House of Lords if Labour wins election November 20, 2022 The House of Lords will be abolished and replaced with an elected upper chamber if Labour wins the next election, Sir Keir Starmer has announced. Starmer told Labour’s peers this week that the UK’s political system had been undermined by recent Prime Ministers appointing “lackeys and donors” to the House of Lords. Politicians will be [...]
Brexit: Barclay denies UK wants ‘Swiss-style’ relationship with EU November 20, 2022 A senior cabinet minister has denied reports the UK wants a closer “Swiss-style” relationship with the EU post-Brexit. Health secretary Steve Barclay has said he doesn’t “recognise” the proposal and that chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined “our determination to maximise post-Brexit opportunities in pro-growth areas” during his autumn statement on Thursday. The Sunday Times reported today [...]
Rishi Sunak meets President Zelensky in first Ukraine visit November 19, 2022 Rishi Sunak has met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in his first visit to Kyiv since becoming Prime Minister. “We discussed the most important issues both for our countries and for global security,” Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram following the meeting earlier today. “We are stronger and we will achieve the desired results,” he added. [...]
‘We’d rather have no decision than a bad decision’: EU threatens to walk from climate talks November 19, 2022 The EU has threatened to walk away from COP27 talks based on concerns that the UN summit could backtrack on commitments. “We’d rather have no decision than a bad decision,” EU climate chief Frans Timmermans told reporters at Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday. “All ministers . . . like myself are prepared to walk away if we do not have [...]