Hunt reportedly set to retain SMEs 19 per cent tax rate amid fears for tech March 12, 2023 Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are set to hold on to the 19 per cent rate of company tax amid concerns for the future of the UK’s tech sector, the Mail has reported. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will hand small and medium businesses major tax breaks to boost investment in the spring statement this week, [...]
Budget: Childcare support and energy bills on Hunt’s to-do list March 12, 2023 Ending the prepayment meter penalty on energy bills and boosting childcare support for the poorest parents are among measures set to be announced in the spring budget. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt this weekend confirmed households on prepayment meters will no longer pay more than people on direct debits, as of July 2023. Energy security secretary Grant [...]
Tube and rail strikes THIS WEEK: How will industrial action affect London commuters and hospitality? March 11, 2023 Parts of Britain’s rail network – including London’s underground system – will be closed during next week’s Budget day strikes, bringing the country to a standstill and hitting hospitality hard. Hospitality bosses have warned the impact of the strikes will hit pubs, bars and restaurants hard, with an estimated £2.5bn having already been lost in [...]
The Notebook: Victoria Scholar on why it’s not all doom and gloom for the economy March 8, 2023 The Notebook is where interesting people say interesting things. Today, it’s Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, on why it’s not the time to be gloomy about the UK’s prospects, the battle for your coffee pound and a new podcast. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that the UK economy is in a [...]
Jeremy Hunt is at sharp end of economic consensus on childcare revolution March 7, 2023 It’s rare for consensus to emerge in economics. Quibbles about the role of the state in society, the level of taxation and where to spend taxpayers’ money often turn into heated arguments thrashed out in just a handful of words on social media. But for once people interested in policymaking are behind around one area [...]
Can Rishi Sunak’s science superpower dreams become reality? March 6, 2023 Rishi Sunak rolled out plans to “cement the UK as a tech and science superpower by 2030” today with promises to tempt in the best global tech talent and deliver a state-backed £370m investment boost. The new “framework” marks the first major outing for the newly minted department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which ministers [...]
Car sales: Better deals and more availability have pushed numbers up with Vauxhall models most popular March 6, 2023 The number of newly registered vehicles rolled out on the UK’s roads continued to soar with car sales rising for the seventh consecutive month. According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders(SMMT) car registrations rose by 26.2 per cent in February as an easing of supply chain shortages steered the market [...]
Chancellor to face ‘tough choices’ in delivering Spring Budget despite having to borrow £30bn less March 6, 2023 Jeremy Hunt will be forced to make tough decisions in his upcoming Budget, experts have warned, despite the Chancellor having considerably more wiggle room than previously thought. Improvements in the state of the British economy mean Jeremy Hunt will have to borrow £30bn less than the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) November forecast showed, according [...]
Offshore energy industry pleads with Hunt for help: Windfall tax ‘rocked investor confidence’ amid US threat March 2, 2023 The UK’s North Sea industry body has urged Jeremy Hunt to create an attractive investment climate to compete with rival energy markets.
Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt must help families with soaring childcare bills to strengthen UK economy, CBI urges March 1, 2023 Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt should help young families with the cost of childcare to tackle worker shortages that are holding back the UK economy, the country’s largest business lobby group has urged today. British households have been spiked by a 60 per cent cash terms rise in childcare bills over the last decade, far [...]