Abolish regressive, outdated stamp duty November 3, 2025 Stamp duty abolition isn’t just desirable it’s an economic necessity, says Alex Michelin Ask any first-time buyer, young family or downsizing pensioner what’s stopping them from moving home and you’ll hear the same answer: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). This once marginal transaction cost has evolved into a structural impediment to the UK housing market, [...]
Reeves plans Autumn Budget tax raid on mansions November 1, 2025 Rachel Reeves is strongly considering a change to council tax payments as a way for owners of more expensive houses to pay more, according to people familiar with the matter. The move would be instead of a direct selling tax on expensive houses, which experts have warned would simply gum up the market as fewer [...]
Labour’s evidence-free approach to policy is baffling October 31, 2025 Keir Starmer is often criticised for lacking an ideology, but his actions suggest a pathological belief in in restricting personal freedoms, impoverishing strivers and narrowing horizons of young people. Or socialism, for short, says James Price A catchphrase I’m fond of reciting is that the best way to make God laugh is to tell Him [...]
Roll-on the World Cup! Spain’s young guns sign deal with Old Spice October 30, 2025 Not so long ago Old Spice was a punchline; a brand associated with a bygone era and reliant on an ageing – not to say, perishing – demographic. More recently it has tried to shake off this stuffy image, leaning into sports such as the NFL. This week made perhaps its most intriguing move yet: [...]
The Line of Beauty at the Almeida review: Horny and exceedingly fabulous October 30, 2025 The Line of Beauty at the Almeida review and star rating: ★★★★ Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty is considered alongside The Normal Heart and Angels in America to be one of the seminal queer texts confronting the AIDS pandemic. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2004 but is more interested in queer hedonism [...]
‘Sower of chaos’ – Russia behind UK cyberattacks, says Cloudflare boss October 30, 2025 The recent spate of cyberattacks that have crippled British firms is largely being carried out by Russia, which used the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza as a “cover story” to deflect attention, the boss of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity firms has said. Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince told City AM that the [...]
Labour faces setback as Lords boots back workers’ rights Bill October 29, 2025 The Employment Rights Bill failed to clear the final hurdle, as the House of Lords ping-ponged it back to MPs for further debate over disputed points, including the controversial granting of ‘day one’ rights. The highly contested Bill, which was a significant part of Labour’s manifesto, will see a major overhaul in the UK’s employment [...]
Reform pledges £9bn welfare savings as Tories urged to apologise October 29, 2025 Reform UK has laid out a smaller savings package on disability payments than one planned by the Tories as opposition parties vie to gain credibility on welfare reform. Reform UK’s Lee Anderson, the party’s spokesman for welfare, set out plans on curbing personal independence payments (Pips) for under 25-year-olds and for people with “non-major anxiety”. [...]
Brits swindled out of thousands by unregulated online financial advice October 29, 2025 People have lost thousands of pounds after acting on advice from online unverified sources, despite industry figures warning that their guidance can be misleading or incorrect. Over 40 per cent of Brits admitted to taking advice from online sources, including ‘finfluencers’ and chatbots, without first verifying its legitimacy, according to the latest data from fintech [...]
Britain is at risk of losing young founders to global rivals October 29, 2025 The UK is at risk of an exodus of entrepreneurial talent as young founders find themselves being lured away by global competitors. According to a new report from the Young Entrepreneurs Forum, Britain is losing its edge as a lucrative destination for young people to launch their startups, due to policymakers failing to address challenges [...]