‘A tax burden without precedent in the 21st Century’: Pub chain McMullen’s blasts government tax hikes June 6, 2025 One of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at the government’s “damaging” tax hikes, warning they will lead to lower demand and investment and have forced the hospitality sector to “bear the brunt” of rises in government spending. Hertford-based McMullen’s, which operates around 120 pubs in London and the home counties, including the Old [...]
Fifa strengthens Saudi ties as PIF joins Club World Cup sponsors June 6, 2025 Fifa has further strengthened its ties with Saudi Arabia after its Public Investment Fund (PIF) agreed a long-term commercial partnership beginning with this month’s Club World Cup. PIF has become the eighth sponsor of the revamped tournament, joining global brands Visa, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Hisense, Lenovo, Budweiser and Qatar Airways. Beyond that, the partnership [...]
House prices dip in May after stamp duty change June 6, 2025 House prices in the UK fell slightly in May after market activity dropped following the end of the stamp duty holiday earlier this year according to the latest data from lender Halifax. Prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May after rising 0.3 per cent in April, putting the value of an average UK home [...]
British businesses celebrated in third year of The King’s Awards for Enterprise: June 5, 2025 The recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise have now been announced, celebrating the achievements of leading businesses from across the UK and Channel Islands and recognising their vital role in growing our economy to improve lives. This year, 197 businesses representing a diverse range of sectors, have been recognised by His Majesty The King [...]
ONS blames government figures after revealing April inflation error June 5, 2025 There was renewed scrutiny over the credibility of figures produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) after the government body admitted an error in its inflation calculations for April. According to the ONS, the issue arose after the government overstated the number of vehicles subject to the vehicle excise duty. The UK stats body [...]
‘Never again’: Shadow Chancellor apologises for Truss’ mini-budget June 5, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride is set to apologise for the fallout from the 2022 mini-budget, vowing that “never again will the Conservative Party undermine fiscal credibility by making promises we cannot afford.” In a speech later today, Stride is expected to apologise on behalf of the Tory government for having “put at risk the very [...]
Will the Bank of England’s quantitative tightening torpedo Reeves’ fiscal rules? June 5, 2025 Rachel Reeves is in a pickle. At under £10bn, the Chancellor’s self-imposed fiscal headroom – the Treasury’s wiggle room within its fiscal rules – is already wafer-thin by historic standards. And it is under intense strain, given a recent slew of billion-pound government spending pledges such as reversing winter fuel payments cuts and scrapping the [...]
UK finance salaries drop as workers ‘actively develop’ tech skills June 4, 2025 UK finance salaries dropped by three per cent in 2025, new data has found, prompting more workers to look for new jobs and develop more tech skills to prop up their pay. Average pay in one of the UK’s richest sectors is now around £102,300, lower than the USA but still higher than Germany and [...]
UK trade deals to lift growth, KPMG says June 4, 2025 UK growth could be higher than expected due to trade deals agreed with the US and the European Union, a City consultancy has said. Most forecasters downgraded the UK’s economic outlook for the year in the wake of President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’, with the IMF and other major forecasters warning the UK was set to [...]
Thames Water mess could soon swamp ministers – and taxpayers June 4, 2025 Water takes the path of least resistance, and so – on this occasion as least – does private equity. Apparently deterred by the increasingly hostile political and regulatory environment KKR, the US giant which secured ‘preferred bidder status’ for a takeover of Thames Water, pulled the plug on its £4bn investment over the weekend. They [...]