The City needs a Thatcher-style revolution June 18, 2025 Fifty years after Thatcher took charge, the City of London faces a crisis of confidence and capital— and only bold, radical reform in her spirit can revive its global standing, says Tim Focas Hard to believe, but it is 50 years since Margaret Thatcher took the helm of the Conservative Party. Though her tenure as [...]
Financial services firms expected to dump green finance and DEI June 18, 2025 The financial services industry is taking a dramatic step back from green finance and diversity policies. Over half of UK senior financial professionals believe their leadership will place less focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies in the coming years. Meanwhile, a similar proportion, 54 per cent, believe diversity, equality and inclusion commitments will [...]
Thwaites ‘extremely nervous’ Rachel Reeves will raise taxes in Autumn Budget June 17, 2025 Beer brewer Thwaites is “extremely nervous” about the possibility of Chancellor Rachel Reeves raising taxes further in her Autumn Budget. The Lancashire-headquartered group, which also owns pubs and hotels, added its industry is “under tremendous pressure” from Reeves’ first Autumn Budget due to the increases in the National Minimum Wage and the employer’s National Insurance [...]
Why the Bank of England will hold interest rates June 17, 2025 At every other meeting, the Bank of England publishes its monetary policy report alongside its interest rate decision. Each lengthy report includes fresh details on revisions to central forecasts, which are poured over with glee by economists and investors.. But this Thursday’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting will offer few statistical goodies. Officials will meet [...]
Rachel Reeves mulls inheritance tax U-turn as non-doms flee June 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves is reportedly mulling over changes to inheritance tax (IHT) on non-doms for assets held around the world, as pressure has ramped up from the City. That’s according to a report in the Financial Times, with “tweaks” to current rules to stem the UK’s haemorrhaging of non-doms. This potential U-turn follows pressure on the [...]
UK aerospace sector to avoid tariffs as Trump-Starmer trade deal clinched June 17, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the G7 summit to agree a trade deal that will remove tariffs on the UK aerospace sector and save carmakers from facing aggressive taxes on exports. The pair of world leaders heaped praise on one another while the UK government said the [...]
Further job cuts needed to cope with tax raid, businesses warn June 17, 2025 Businesses across Britain are planning another round of job cuts to deal with the pain of Rachel Reeves’ national insurance raid, laying bare the scale of the financial pressure wrought by the government’s £20bn tax hike after it came into effect in April. As many as one in three businesses said they were planning to [...]
Carried interest: London’s dealmakers bask in rare lobbying win June 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves went into the 2024 general election promising to close the “carried interest loophole” long-enjoyed by “asset stripping” private equity executives. So far, though, the sector has escaped the worst of Labour’s promised crackdown, writes Ali Lyon. For someone who once argued private equity was full of asset strippers driving beloved British businesses to [...]
UK economy rebound hopes gather as City ‘ready to invest’ June 17, 2025 The UK economy could rebound May as a new business survey has signalled “tentative hope” that Chancellor Reeves can deliver higher growth. According to Lloyds’ latest sector tracker, two more areas of the economy saw output expand compared to data for April, a month which recorded a 0.3 per cent contract in GDP per official [...]
Are Brexit Britain and Carney’s Canada a dream match? June 17, 2025 As Carney balances political principles with market realities, post-tariff Canada could learn from Brexit Britain, writes Michael Martins.