Rachel Reeves should tweak fiscal rules to ease pressure, IFS says July 21, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves should bring forward a change to fiscal rules to ease pressures faced at spring fiscal events, a leading economics think tank has urged. In a new briefing on public finances, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said Rachel Reeves should refrain from changing the number of times the Office for Budget Responsibility [...]
Natwest and Lloyds: What to expect from FTSE 100 bank earnings next week July 21, 2025 The FTSE 100’s banking titans, Natwest, Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC are gearing up for what promises to be an interesting half-year reporting season. Lloyds and Natwest will kick off earnings on July 24 and July 25 followed by peers Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered the following week. The first quarter was defined by President Donald Trump’s [...]
UK SMEs paralysed by fear despite ‘sitting on piles of cash’ July 17, 2025 Small-to-medium sized companies in the UK (SMEs) are “paralysed by fear” because of geopolitical uncertainty and a lack of clear economic policy, according to new research. Accounting and advisory group Azets said a large number of SMEs are “sitting on significant piles of cash” but are nevertheless holding back on investment. The warning, issued by [...]
Retail data threats peak in Q2, as UK sector grapples with cyber spree July 17, 2025 New analysis of cyber threat data suggests a clear seasonal pattern is emerging in retail-focused attacks, with the second quarter of the year consistently seeing a spike in malicious activity targeting retailers across the UK. The findings, based on Abnormal AI’s data collected between January 2023 and June 2025, indicate that threat actors are increasingly [...]
Soaring beef and butter prices drive food inflation in June July 16, 2025 Food inflation has risen to its highest level in nearly a year as farmers struggle with high costs amid tax rises and extreme weather. Overall inflation was ahead of expectations in June at 3.6 per cent, but food and drink inflation continued to outpace the rest of the economy at 4.5 per cent. This was [...]
OBR chief says higher tax is ‘not good’ for growth – or the government July 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves risks harming the UK economy’s potential to grow by inflicting extra tax hikes on Brits, the fiscal watchdog has warned, adding that the government risks losing out on returns in the longer run. Rachel Reeves looks poised to raise taxes at this year’s Autumn Budget as leading City analysts believe the higher [...]
Andrew Bailey calls for lower interest rates if job market stalls July 14, 2025 The Governor of the Bank of England has called for more dramatic cuts to interest rates if the jobs market sees a substantial slowdown. In an interview with The Times, Andrew Bailey insisted: “I really do believe the path is downward” for rates. He said that businesses are “adjusting employment” following Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes [...]
London hiring plunges as Rachel Reeves’ tax grab weighs July 14, 2025 London hiring has suffered a steep drop as rising costs weigh on employers following Rachel Reeves’ tax grab. Permanent staff places in the capital – hires with no fixed end date – fell at the sharpest rate in 22 months in June. Meanwhile, temporary bills, which track the total income recruitment agencies earn from placing [...]
Something fiscal this way comes: Reeves haunted by ghosts of Truss and the OBR July 10, 2025 Haunted by the legacy of Truss and bound by the warnings of the OBR, Chancellor Rachel Reeves now faces a political and fiscal tragedy of her own, as internal rebellion and economic risks threaten her grip on stability, says Helen Thomas OBR, OBR, wherefore art thou OBR? The three letter acronym that oversees government finances [...]
Get ready for £30bn tax raid, City analysts warn July 5, 2025 Top City economists have warned welfare U-turns and President Trump’s damage to growth prospects will lead to tax hikes worth £30bn this autumn. Chancellor Rachel Reeves suggested last year’s £40bn tax raid on businesses, homeowners and investors was a “once in a parliament reset” while Keir Starmer has suggested the UK could not “tax [its] [...]