Reform UK: Kent local authority poised to hike council tax October 6, 2025 Reform UK-run Kent County Council is likely to raise council tax next year, with a cabinet member suggesting that a five per cent hike is on the cards. Diane Morton, the council lead for adult social care, told the Financial Times: “We’ve got more demand than ever before and it’s growing.” “We just want more [...]
Why Evelyn Partners backed the City’s newest padel tournament October 6, 2025 Next week some of the City’s biggest companies will put professional pride on the line in the name of competition – and charity – at the inaugural Evelyn Partners Padel Cup. The invitation-only tournament will see 16 mixed teams from top Square Mile firms descend on high-end Canary Wharf club Padium on 16 October for [...]
Regulators target motor finance CMCs amid redress costs concern October 6, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority is teaming up with a fleet of regulators to crackdown on misleading claims firms in the motor finance saga – even as the sector’s displeasure on the redress scheme rumbles on. The City watchdog will join the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), Information Commissioner’s Office and the Advertising Standards Authority to tackle [...]
French borrowing costs surge as political crisis deepens October 6, 2025 French assets suffered at the hands of a brutal sell-off on Monday, after the country’s latest prime minister resigned just a month into the role, exacerbating an already grave political crisis. French stocks tumbled across the board while government borrowing costs climbed sharply to their highest since 2011, after newly appointed prime minister Sebastien Lecornu [...]
Conservative Party Conference: What can we expect? October 6, 2025 Despite the naysayers, party conferences are not meaningless, so what can we expect from the Tories at Conservative Party Conference 2025?
Construction sector hit by waning activity ahead of Budget October 6, 2025 Business activity expectations in the construction industry have fallen to the lowest since the end of 2022 as companies remained glum on future outlook ahead of the Autumn Budget. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed construction output showed the industry hit its highest level for three months at 46.2 – though [...]
Economists ask Labour to prioritise planning reform and cut tax to boost growth October 6, 2025 A survey of economists and policy experts has put pressure on Labour to “spend political capital” on planning reform to encourage more home building and on reforming the welfare system, reflecting the urgency of the government’s mission to grow the economy. A centre-left think tank focused on growth policy, the Centre for British Progress, has [...]
Rachel Reeves mulls bank tax amid scramble to fill fiscal hole October 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves is reported to be weighing up a tax on Britain’s banking giants as the Treasury looks to strum up cash in the forthcoming Autumn Budget. The Chancellor is expected to be staring down a fiscal blackhole of over £20bn come November 26 and banks have been viewed as an easy – and politically [...]
Tariffs and economic pressure drive slowdown at Aston Martin October 6, 2025 Aston Martin has blamed a combination of economic challenges and the ongoing impact of tariffs as it warned sales will fall year on year. The luxury carmaker delivered fewer cars than expected in the third quarter of 2025, at 1,430 wholesale units versus 1,641 in the third quarter of 2024. It attributed the fall to [...]
Shawbrook confirms IPO plans as listings revival gathers pace October 6, 2025 Shawbrook has confirmed its plans for a stock market listing in the latest sign of a resurgence in activity in London’s IPO market. The Essex-based bank has today published its registration document ahead of its intention to apply to admit its shares to the main market of the London Stock Exchange in a move thought [...]