Budget 2026: Sainsbury’s boss urges Labour to tackle Neets crisis October 22, 2026 The boss of Sainsbury’s has urged the government to tackle the UK’s youth unemployment crisis, as he hit out at previous hikes to the cost of hiring workers. Simon Roberts, chief executive of the UK’s second-largest grocer, said John Healey must “focus on doing the right thing for young people” at next week’s Budget. In [...]
Healey: I want to help bloody-minded founders October 22, 2026 John Healey has pledged to devote next week’s Budget to “bloody-minded entrepreneurs”, acknowledging small and fast-growing businesses have been “under pressure” from a barrage of fresh taxes and regulation. The Chancellor said he would clamp down on the “cost of business” as well as on the cost of living, promising to patch up relations with [...]
Barclays to axe 5,000 jobs by end of year after banking on AI savings October 22, 2026 Barclays will wield the axe on some 5,000 jobs in its global headcount as the firm ramps up its cost-cutting targets and leverages artificial intelligence. The FTSE 100 bank’s reductions will cover five per cent of the group’s global workforce and are expected to be mainly concentrated in support functions, including developers. “They’re across the [...]
Ditching a damaging capital gains tax rise doesn’t make Healey a pro-growth Chancellor October 22, 2026 Although the government has ruled out raising Capital Gains Tax in the upcoming budget, Labour’s broader tax and spending policies remain economically damaging, uncompetitive, and fundamentally misguided, says Daniel Herring The government needs to find money for the upcoming Budget. Having ruled out the least damaging and broadest-based tax rises, Labour needs to resort to [...]
Budget 2026: Consumer confidence tumbles as Healey urged to slow ‘tsunami of costs’ October 22, 2026 John Healey has been urged to tackle the “tsunami of costs” facing firms as consumer confidence tumbled ahead of the crucial Budget next week. Brits’ confidence in the state of the economy worsened from -32 to -40 in October, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)’s index, marking the third consecutive month of deteriorating sentiment. [...]
Ex-cost of living adviser Richard Walker demands ‘aggressive’ tax reform October 21, 2026 Lord Richard Walker, the Iceland boss who advised the Sir Keir Starmer government on the cost of living, has called on Andy Burnham and John Healey to unleash “aggressive” tax reform to encourage firms to invest and hire more young people. In a paper for the Blairite think tank Progress, Walker made a series of [...]
Budget 2026: Healey warned betting tax hikes could hit non-league football October 21, 2026 The Chancellor has been warned that tax rises on betting operators could have an impact on non-league football amid duty hike fears at next week’s Budget. Chancellor John Healey will next week deliver Andy Burnham’s first Budget since his coronation as Prime Minister earlier this year, and taxes are expected to be jacked up on [...]
Bank of England set to overshadow Healey’s Budget with interest rate hike October 21, 2026 The Bank of England is expected to overshadow John Healey’s maiden Budget with a “done deal” interest rate hike aiming to tame soaring inflation while risking economic growth. Top City economists predict the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will raise the base rate at its November meeting, just one week after the Autumn Budget. [...]
LemFi Launches Its Biggest Product Expansion Yet Alongside a New Global Brand, ‘Ambition has no passport’ October 21, 2026 LemFi launches the biggest product expansion in its history, adding UK savings, credit, and data eSIM in 100+ destinations A rebuilt app brings transfers, savings, credit and connectivity together in one platform for people building financial lives across borders New global brand, “Ambition has no passport”, reflects LemFi’s evolution from remittances into a broader financial platform serving more than two million customers
Inflation leaps above expectations to 3.5 per cent October 21, 2026 Inflation jumped to 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to September as the UK economy looks set to suffer the damaging effects of energy price increases caused by the Iran war over the coming months. The consumer price index (CPI) reading rose above market expectations. This was also above last month’s figure of 3.1 [...]