‘Cash cow’ inheritance tax receipts edge higher as further changes loom September 19, 2025 Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts are on course for a record breaking year, as an increasing number of Brits brace themselves for further potential tax changes. According to the latest HMRC data, IHT receipts hit £3.7bn in the first five months of the 2025/26 tax year, continuing their two decade long upward trend. This is also [...]
Consumer confidence drops ahead of Budget September 19, 2025 Brits’ confidence has fallen as nerves grow over the possibility tax rises in the upcoming November Budget. GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index decreased by two points to -19 in September, with all measures down in comparison to last month. “There’s an autumnal chill in the air this month,” Neil Bellamy said. “With tax rises expected in [...]
Donald Trump suggests Keir Starmer could drill oil in North Sea September 18, 2025 President Donald Trump has urged Keir Starmer to drill for more North Sea oil as he suggested that the Prime Minister could begin expanding projects in the near term. In a press conference at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s estate, Trump claimed that he had taken control of inflation in the US through his drive to [...]
Housing in London now classed as unaffordable at every income level September 18, 2025 London housing has been officially classed as unaffordable for every income decile in a ‘pretty grim’ picture of the housing market. New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the average English home costs 7.9 times the average salary. If you live in London, conditions are far worse: Someone earning an average [...]
Interest rates could fall to three per cent – City AM Shadow MPC September 18, 2025 Interest rates could fall as low as three per cent, according to a group of economists in City AM‘s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), but a rocky year for the UK economy could keep borrowing costs high. The Bank of England voted to hold interest rates on Thursday at four per cent due to sticky [...]
Reeves’ tax hikes ‘won’t bring inflation down anytime soon’, Smeg warns September 18, 2025 The tax hikes introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Autumn Budget will mean it is “sometime” before inflation gets down to the government’s two per cent target, the UK arm of kitchenware brand Smeg has warned. The Abingdon-based division said the increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions, which came into effect in April, [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates and slows down QT to £70bn September 18, 2025 The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-2 to hold interest rates amid sticky inflation, with a decision to slow down its quantitative tightening (QT) process also made in light of febrile markets raising borrowing costs. MPC members made a dual decision at its September meeting on interest rates and the sale of [...]
Michael Vaughan issues Autumn Budget plea to Rachel Reeves September 18, 2025 Cricket legend Michael Vaughan has issued a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to help out start-ups and small-to-medium-sized (SMEs) businesses in her Autumn Budget on 26 November. Vaughan, who has recently invested in health and wellness supplement start-up Uthful, hit out at the employers’ National Insurance increase included in last year’s Autumn Budget for causing [...]
Savers stick to cash amid fears over investment risks September 18, 2025 Fears over falling stock prices are prompting UK savers to avoid investing, new research has found, with Brits preferring to park their earnings in cash. According to online trading platform IG, three in five savers believe any form of retail investing is too risky, despite government and industry figures’ encouragement to increase their exposure to [...]
Time to restore true independence to the Bank of England September 18, 2025 The Bank of England is no longer held directly responsible for inflation but must juggle multiple, sometimes competing objectives. As a result price stability, the Bank’s founding mission, risks being sidelined, says Jonathan Eida While parliament took its summer recess, the Bank of England was busy. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) last month announced another [...]