I recreated all my favourite TV tropes, from crawling through pipes to being two kids in a trenchcoat
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 [...]
OBR hands Rachel Reeves first damning pre-Budget report on UK economy October 3, 2025 The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves its first evaluation of the state of the UK economy and crippled public finances, setting policy discussions about likely £30bn tax rises and possible savings in motion. The OBR’s Budget Responsibility Committee, which consists of the economists Richard Hughes, David Miles and Tom Josephs, [...]
Keir Starmer is dangerously deluded October 1, 2025 The prime minister may have insisted yesterday that wealth creation is “the defining mission of this government” but it certainly wasn’t the defining mission of his speech to the Labour party conference. There were roughly 7,000 words in Keir Starmer’s address to party members in Liverpool, with “business” being uttered just four times – and [...]
Wages soar to £1.5bn as HMRC ramps up on compliance staff September 24, 2025 HMRC has allocated over £1.5bn for 2024-25 to support staff in compliance, preventing and detecting fraud cases and collecting taxes, representing a 23 per cent increase on its 2021-22 staff bill. According to a freedom of information (FOI) shared with City AM by think tank Parliament Street, over the past fiscal year as part of [...]
Rachel Reeves told to cut national insurance and raise income tax to gain £6bn September 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told to cut national insurance for workers by two per cent and raise income tax by the same amount, with economists at a left-leaning think tank claiming a £6bn gain in revenue could be made. The Resolution Foundation, once the workplace of Treasury ministers Torsten Bell and Dan Tomlinson, has [...]
Don’t rule out another rate cut this year September 23, 2025 Many are assuming the Bank of England will hold rates for the rest of the year. But scratch the surface and there is a case for another move before year-end, says Martin Beck Most analysts reckon the Bank of England is done cutting rates in 2025, a consensus reinforced by the Bank’s decision today to [...]
Economists tell Rachel Reeves to target wealthy pensioners September 20, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves should target wealthy pensioners to ease pressures on the public purse and allow infrastructure investment pledges to be protected, top economists and former ministers have said. Former Cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell, ex Tory minister and Goldman Sachs executive Jim O’Neill, and top economists including Mariana Mazzucato have urged the government to “rebalance” [...]
Reeves considering ‘staggered stamp duty payments’ to boost housing market September 18, 2025 A proposal to spread stamp duty payments across several years, in an effort to drive growth and boost the housing market, is among changes to property tax being considered by the Treasury ahead of Budget discussions with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Suggested reforms to stamp duty would allow house buyers to pay the [...]
Labour warned Employment Rights Bill will damage jobs market September 17, 2025 Labour’s Employment Rights Bill must be changed immediately to prevent the UK’s jobs market crisis from worsening, top business groups have warned Peter Kyle in a last-ditch attempt to secure growth-focused changes. The government’s workers’ rights reforms have faced strong opposition from thousands of businesses across the UK, with bodies representing their interests claiming changes [...]
Dunelm shares plummet despite ‘successful year’ September 9, 2025 Dunelm’s share price dropped more 10 per cent to 1,114p on Tuesday after profit growth slowed, despite reporting a rise in sales and market share gains. City broker Peel Hunt said the company’s “operational grip shone through”, with numbers as expected. “Outgoing CEO Nick Wilkinson hands over a business in great shape, demonstrating increased relevance [...]