Starmer’s biggest barrier to growth is the Labour party July 7, 2025 A year into Labour rule, the UK economy shows resilience despite government missteps, but Starmer’s statist instincts and fiscal misfires risk stalling the very growth he promises to deliver, says Eliot Wilson Sir Keir Starmer has little in common with Liz Truss, but the two Prime Ministers agreed on one issue: the UK will only [...]
Octopus’s Greg Jackson: We have been gaslit by vested interests July 7, 2025 Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson has accused his opponents of “gaslighting” ahead of an imminent decision by ministers on whether to split up the UK’s power market. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to draw a line under the zonal pricing debate as early as this week after months of increasingly fierce lobbying from [...]
Hiring confidence worst in 13 years as businesses brace for further tax hikes July 7, 2025 Appetite for hiring among employers has fallen to lows not seen since 2012, as bosses bring up the drawbridge following bruising hikes to business rates and more tax rises looming at the next Budget. Research from the BDO Business Trends barometer found that firms are “holding back recruitment” despite indications of a summer recovery. Employment [...]
Fraud is the UK’s biggest economic threat July 7, 2025 Of all the economic threats we must confront, none is so widespread as fraud, which is why the City of London is taking action.
Hospitality jobs slump as Reeves’ National Insurance hike bites July 6, 2025 The UK hospitality industry has shed 69,000 jobs since chancellor Rachel Reeves’s rise in employers’ national insurance contributions took effect – a stark reversal from the 18,000 roles created in the same period last year under the previous government. The figures, sourced from the Office for National Statistics, or ONS, mark the steepest peacetime job [...]
Housebuilding boost as stamp duty ‘disruptions’ fade July 4, 2025 Housebuilding stopped the construction sector from crumbling as an increase in residential work in June was recorded for the first time in nine months, fresh data has suggested. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for construction showed the sector improved slightly from May, with the decline in total business activity at the lowest level since [...]
British banking chiefs take a leaf from Elon Musk’s DOGE July 4, 2025 The chiefs of the UK’s Big Four banks are taking a leaf out of the Elon Musk playbook in their strident bid to slash costs. Natwest’s Paul Thwaite, Lloyds’ Charlie Nunn, HSBC’s Georges Elhedery and Barclays’ CS Venkatkrishnan are in the midst of major cost-cutting endeavours that bear similarities to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency [...]
Wes Streeting accused of issuing ‘misleading’ plan on NHS staffing July 3, 2025 Health secretary Wes Streeting has been accused of issuing “misleading information” on staffing practice at the NHS, with plans to end the use of agencies by 2030 a “short-sighted” move that could push up costs for the taxpayer. Streeting today unveiled Labour’s 10-year plan for the NHS focussed on rolling out weight-loss drugs, reducing people’s [...]
NHS plan won’t come close to getting Britain’s sick back to work July 3, 2025 Good health is good business, and Britain is painfully unwell. Starmer's 10-year NHS plan just won't cut it, writes Lord James Bethell.
Why did Santander buy TSB? July 3, 2025 Santander might have hoped its takeover of TSB would make waves across the banking industry, but analysts have dubbed it a more modest splash. The deal, which is set to be worth £2.9bn when closed in 2026, will add TSB’s five million customers, £34bn in mortgages and £35bn in deposits to Santander’s portfolio as well [...]