FTSE 100 Live: BBVA Sabadell bid falls through, tax rises in focus October 17, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Rachel Reeves isn’t going to introduce a Wealth Tax, but she is going to tax the wealthy. She isn’t going to impose austerity, but she is going to get spending under control. Confused? Speculation over the contents of next month’s Budget has reached fever pitch, and it’s [...]
On this day in 1814: The London Beer Flood October 17, 2025 On this day in 1814, the perils of drink would show themselves in an unexpected but deadly way in the London Beer Flood, writes Eliot Wilson.
Local councils are standing in the way of regenerating our high streets October 17, 2025 Local councils make running a business in Britain a bureaucratic nightmare, says Preston Benson I moved here from the United States over 20 years ago, became a British citizen along the way, and have spent my career investing in the UK’s towns and cities. I have learned you can survive a pandemic, an energy crisis, [...]
Rachel Reeves and the tax and spend doom loop October 16, 2025 Rachel Reeves isn’t going to introduce a Wealth Tax, but she is going to tax the wealthy. She isn’t going to impose austerity, but she is going to get spending under control. Confused? Speculation over the contents of next month’s Budget has reached fever pitch, and it’s only going to ramp up from here. This [...]
UK economy grew 0.1 per cent in August October 16, 2025 The UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent in August, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures have shown, with a struggling construction sector in the month weighing down on output across the UK. The ONS data indicated on Wednesday morning the UK economy was set for a significant slowdown after an upswing in spending over [...]
Is Sadiq trying to gaslight Londoners about crime? October 16, 2025 The Mayor is desperate to convince Londoners that crime is falling, despite all the evidence to the contrary, writes James Ford London does not have a crime problem; it has a misinformation problem. That is the assertion of the capital’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan. Clearly wounded by President Trump’s recent claim that “crime in London is [...]
We have to get serious about major spending cuts October 16, 2025 Speculation over the contents of next month’s Budget has reached fever pitch, and it’s only going to ramp up from here. This is not idle curiosity; with businesses still adapting to the confidence-sapping and job-smothering fallout from last year’s Budget, there is now a genuine fear that what remains of our economic resilience could be [...]
Sports Minister ‘deeply concerned’ at British basketball governance crisis October 15, 2025 Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock says she is “deeply concerned” by the governance crisis in British basketball that has seen the men’s national team frozen out of the world game. The sanction was announced on Monday by international governing body Fiba, which has suspended the British Basketball Federation’s membership after electing to intervene in its long-running [...]
China ‘stole vast amounts’ of classified UK documents October 15, 2025 UK intelligence has been “compromised” after China stole classified UK government documents over several years, a former senior adviser to Boris Johnson has claimed. Dominic Cummings, who served as a senior adviser to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for over a year, has said that classified material was stolen by China and the label “threat” [...]
Downing Street refuses to rule out breaking Labour tax pledges October 15, 2025 Downing Street has refused to rule out breaking Labour manifesto tax pledges not to raise income tax, national insurance for workers or VAT, in a further indication that the government could look to raise revenue through one of the three big taxes. The Labour Party vowed not to raise national insurance, VAT or income tax [...]