Bank of England decision to cut interest rates could be ‘closer call’ December 5, 2025 The Bank of England’s expected decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis points could be a “closer call” than markets predict, analysts have said. Markets have all but priced in interest rates falling to 3.75 per cent at the Bank’s next decision in mid-December after a flurry of data points pointed to a continued [...]
Bank of England: Businesses cut staff at fastest pace since pandemic December 5, 2025 British businesses cut jobs at the fastest rate since the pandemic in the run-up to Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. A closely-watched survey from the Bank of England, which quizzes finance directors on their staffing levels, showed employment in the private sector fell by 1.8 per cent in November – the steepest monthly decline since July [...]
House prices hit record high but overall growth slows December 5, 2025 UK house prices reached a record high in November, however overall growth slowed to the weakest rate since 2024 according to the latest data from Halifax’s house price index. Prices were broadly unchanged last month, edging up £138, bringing the average house price to £299,892, a new record high. This follows a 0.5 per cent [...]
Britain is the worst place in Europe to get rich December 5, 2025 Success has become a liability in Britain, and uncertainty the defining feature of our economic landscape – it is little wonder that our most dynamic founders, investors and wealth creators are looking for a change of scenery, says Stephen Kenny In the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor said twice that she had made the tax system [...]
Round Retail: the social enterprise transforming second-hand fashion December 4, 2025 The fashion resale industry has transformed over the last few years, and social enterprise, Round Retail, founded by Annie Hought, has played a central role in that evolution. The East London native launched Round Retail in early 2023 with a mission to make second-hand shopping consumers’ first choice by offering a premium, in-person experience. “I [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget to send borrowing costs soaring; New AIM IPO December 4, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Sir Keir Starmer has asked the British public to judge his premiership on the government’s ability to “make people feel better off”. Well, in the capital the Prime Minister shouldn’t be expecting a warm reception from young Brits, who are feeling the pinch of the [...]
The Leaky War: How Rachel Reeves and the OBR came to blows December 4, 2025 Between 5:16am and 11:30am on the day of the Budget, as Rachel Reeves was putting the finishing touches to her House of Commons speech, 7 audacious internet users made 44 attempts to break into the servers of Britain’s fiscal watchdog to get an early glimpse of her plans. An hour before Reeves stood up in [...]
No future: is Britain losing hope? December 4, 2025 Britain faces a deep, decade-in-the-making crisis of hope, as rising costs, stagnating opportunities, and widening structural failures leave both young and middle-class people feeling trapped, disillusioned, and asking if a viable future in the UK is still possible, says Eliza Filby Throughout my conversations in recent months it’s become clear to me that the country’s [...]
Starmer blames sweeping tax hikes on Tories December 3, 2025 Keir Starmer blamed sweeping tax hikes at the Budget aimed at funding extra welfare spending and building a larger fiscal buffer on the previous Conservative government’s economic performance. Responding to questions from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch on whether tax rises were necessary, Starmer pointed the finger at a £16bn downgrade to productivity forecasts by the [...]
Hotels ‘fighting to maintain profits’ as costs rise December 3, 2025 Britain’s hotels are struggling with rising costs despite increasing demand, according to the latest data. Profits were flat for UK hotels between September and October at just over 38 per cent, and fell slightly from 43.3 per cent to 43.1 per cent in London, according to the RSM hotels tracker. This was despite a rise [...]