Minister says only ‘average incomes’ up to £39k safe from Reeves’ tax hikes July 15, 2025 A government minister has said that Labour will stick to its manifesto commitment not to raise personal taxes, at least for those on “average incomes” – earning up to £39,000. Successive ministers over multiple days of media rounds have been caught in an increasingly tangled mess of definitions of what it means to be “wealthy”, [...]
Corbyn, Sultana and the politics of ‘someone else will pay’ July 15, 2025 Zarah Sultana’s shaky launch of a new left-wing movement highlights the false promise of cost-free socialism, offering voters an unrealistic alternative to the tough economic choices facing Britain, writes Eliot Wilson It did not bode well for a new powerful left-wing voice in British politics. When Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana recently announced she was [...]
Treasury minister Darren Jones struggles to define ‘modest income’ July 14, 2025 Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones says Labour’s “working people” tax pledge refers to “anyone that gets a payslip, basically”. Rachel Reeves’ deputy was asked across multiple interviews on Monday morning to clarify who exactly would be shielded from tax hikes, and whether Labour’s pre-election promises not to raise levies on “working people” will [...]
Mansion House speech: Rachel Reeves to ‘rip up’ red tape in financial services July 14, 2025 Rachel Reeves is to pledge a bonfire of financial services regulation as she seeks to rekindle her relationship with the City. The Chancellor will vow to cut “reams of financial red tape” when she gives her annual Mansion House speech on Tuesday evening, according to people familiar with the matter. That is set to include [...]
Minister leaves open prospect of middle-class tax grab July 13, 2025 A senior Labour minster has left open the prospect of raising taxes for middle-class workers in the autumn budget later this year. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Philips that the government had pledged not to raise taxes for “people on modest incomes.” Responding to questions on whether fresh tax [...]
Rachel Reeves to pledge Thatcher-style ‘Big Bang’ for City in Mansion House speech July 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to pledge a Thatcher-esque “Big Bang” in the City next week as part of her much-awaited Mansion House speech. Reeves is expected to tell senior banking figures to ditch New York and Paris in favour of London or Leeds amid a commitment to slash burdensome regulation. A Treasury source told the [...]
Wimbledon, Euros and Test cricket set to boost pubs and supermarkets July 12, 2025 Pubs and supermarkets are bracing for a bumper weekend thanks to the heatwave and a deluge of live sport on TV including Wimbledon finals, Test cricket and the Lionesses. A British and Irish Lions tour match, England and Wales rugby internationals, other Women’s Euros fixtures, Tour de France cycling and a trilogy fight between Katie [...]
Flutter market cap hits $51bn after latest FanDuel acquisition July 11, 2025 Sportsbook operator FanDuel is set for a $31bn valuation after Flutter Entertainment struck an agreement to take complete control. The Irish-American gambling firm reached terms with Boyd Gaming to acquire the five per cent of FanDuel it does not already own. The deal will see the final five per cent be transferred to Flutter Entertainment [...]
This Pacific Ocean country is one of Earth’s most biodiverse places July 10, 2025 This Pacific Ocean hideaway offers incredible sea life in brilliant luxury Anyone for fruit bat stew? “It’s delicious!” the museum guide assured me. “You cook the bat whole and serve it up in a soup, so it gazes up at you from the bowl. And you eat the entire bat. Because its diet is fruit, [...]
Starmer urged to ‘be honest’ about tax plans as business confidence slumps July 10, 2025 Business confidence has slumped to a three-year low as a “cocktail of costs” including higher taxes and tariff threats pour cold water on Keir Starmer’s claims of rising corporate optimism. The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday afternoon that business confidence had hit a nine-year high, citing a recent Lloyds Business Barometer, which typically reveals [...]