Tariffs: Starmer commits to fiscal rules and not raising income tax and VAT April 7, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has stressed his commitment to the government’s fiscal rules and reiterated he would not increase national insurance, VAT or income tax, despite Donald Trump’s tariffs upending government economic policy. The Prime Minister called for “cool heads” as global markets plunged in response to the US President’s sweeping global import taxes, and said [...]
Rachel Reeves approval rating one point above Trump with UK voters, poll finds April 7, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ approval ratings have slumped since March leaving her just one point more popular than US President Donald Trump with UK voters, a poll has found. The Chancellor’s net approval ratings have declined by 12 points since delivering her Spring Statement last month, leaving Reeves at net -43, just one point above Trump on [...]
More Brits ‘in financial strain’ as Trump frightens UK voters April 7, 2025 Nearly two in five UK voters are either cutting their spending or are unable to pay essential bills due to ‘financial strain’, according to the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll, as President Trump’s tariffs are set to send Chancellor Reeves’ growth plans into disarray. The Chancellor said at her Spring Statement in March that Brits [...]
BAE Systems, Qinetiq, Babcock among sliding defence stocks as Trump tariffs bite April 7, 2025 President Trump’s sweeping package of global tariffs has sparked a sharp decline in defence sector stocks, as markets react to the shockwaves from his decision to impose a 10 per cent levy on British exports – among other measures. The move has raised concerns on increased costs and the potential for a scarcity mindset that [...]
Reeves’ £25bn tax grab to become ‘toxic reality’ for British business, firms suggest April 4, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £25bn tax grab from employers will become a “toxic reality” for British businesses from Sunday as higher costs risk stunting firms’ income, one of the UK’s largest industry bodies has warned. Reeves’ has pinned her hopes for improving the state of public finances on growing the UK economy but more firms have [...]
Trump confirms 10 per cent tariffs to hit UK exports in huge economic blow April 2, 2025 Donald Trump has confirmed the UK will be hit by 10 per cent tariffs on exports to the US, in a major blow to Britain’s economic growth. The US President confirmed the measure in a provocative and bombastic statement in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday at just after 9pm UK time. The European [...]
Rachel Reeves: UK will not ‘rush into action’ after Trump’s tariffs speech April 2, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated that the UK is unlikely to respond quickly to President Trump should he impose damaging tariffs on goods coming from Britain. In a hearing at the Treasury Committee on Wednesday, Reeves said the UK would not “rush into action to get a quick headline”. “The prize on offer is a [...]
Cash ISAs fall out of favour as investors flock to Stocks and Shares ISAs April 2, 2025 Cash ISAs are increasingly becoming unpopular with investors, while the number of Stocks and Shares ISAs has surged 57 per cent amid planned reforms to the investment wrapper. An analysis of HMRC data by Investengine revealed that new Cash ISA accounts have fallen seven per cent over the last five years, despite recently announced plans [...]
It’s Rayner to the rescue but who will build Labour’s 1.3m homes? April 2, 2025 Labour’s only hope for growth is new housebuilding – but Britain doesn’t have the workforce to deliver even the newly downgraded targets. There is an obvious solution, says Jamila Robertson In the Spring Statement, Rachel Reeves acknowledged that she will no longer be able to meet the government’s manifesto pledge to build 1.5m homes by [...]
IFS director: Tariffs risk undermining ‘best case’ OBR forecasts April 1, 2025 Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) director Paul Johnson has raised questions about whether the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)’s forecasts would remain credible should President Trump slap tariffs on UK goods on Wednesday. The OBR’s report included modelling by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published in January. The IMF’s analysis did not consider the potential [...]