Autumn Budget: Reeves told avoid ‘pick and mix’ tax grabs October 23, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the managing director of TheCityUK warns Reeves not to patch up the tax tire just for it to deflate once more. The Chancellor has touted financial and professional services for their role “at the [...]
UK dividends fall as companies battle challenging economic backdrop October 23, 2025 UK dividends tumbled in the third quarter of the financial year, as large companies made significant cuts to their shareholder payouts. According to the latest dividend monitor from financial services firm Computershare, London-listed firms paid their shareholders £24.6bn in the third quarter, through one off and regular payments. This was a 1.4 per cent year-on-year [...]
Banking watchdog boss warns easing capital rules ‘highly risky’ October 22, 2025 The head of the UK’s banking watchdog has warned of high risk if the UK loosens its rules around lenders’ capital framework as the government pushes for economic growth. Sam Woods, the head of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said requiring banks to no longer set aside capital for top-tier sovereign bonds would “be equivalent [...]
Britain’s inflation problem isn’t global – it’s made in the Treasury October 22, 2025 Reeves can’t keep blaming the last government or global headwinds for doubling inflation – it’s a result of her own policies, says Gareth Davies When the Conservatives left office in 2024, Britain was emerging from an incredibly challenging chapter in our history. Together we navigated the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, subsequent supply-chain shocks and [...]
UK SMEs brace for inflation strain as confidence slips October 22, 2025 Small business (SME) optimism is faltering as sticky inflation, labour shortages and rising borrowing costs pile pressure on firms already stretched by thin margins and political uncertainty. Small business confidence dipped in September, with recent Opinium polling suggesting that UK entrepreneurs are increasingly uneasy about the months ahead. The latest figures from the National Federation [...]
The £6bn boost to the economy from getting 50-64-year-olds back to work October 22, 2025 There are roughly 1m people between age 50 and state pension age who say they want or need to keep working but are facing a range of obstacles, says Catherine Foot As the UK awaits the findings of the Keep Britain Working Review which is looking to address economic inactivity due to ill-health and disability, [...]
UK investment: Optimism from Expo Real 2025 October 22, 2025 I recently returned from Expo Real in Munich, where I joined colleagues from the City of London Corporation and a UK cities delegation committed to one clear goal: To drive global investment into the UK and deliver the growth this country needs. But the competition is fierce. Cities like New York and Singapore are not [...]
Nobel Prize winners’ message is clear: Excessive taxation inhibits growth October 22, 2025 This year's economics Nobel Prize winners make it clear that the UK's path of high taxation will destroy growth, writes Paul Ormerod.
The taxes driving housing developers out of London October 22, 2025 Stealth taxes faced by would-be builders have made London the most expensive city in the world to build, writes David Hirst.
Virgin Wines blames government for inflationary cost pressures October 22, 2025 Virgin Wines has said most of its cost pressures this year have been driven by government policy, including an alcohol duty revamp and a bottle tax. The online wine seller told markets that profit before tax dipped by five per cent to £1.6m in the 2025 financial year, despite flat revenue. CEO Jay Wright pointed [...]