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 [...]
The Debate: Is there any merit in a wealth tax? October 22, 2025 Pledges to impose a wealth tax are often well received among the public, but would such a policy actually help Brits?
Housing secretary Steve Reed ‘overly optimistic’ for betting jobs on housing targets October 22, 2025 The government’s housing secretary, Steve Reed, continues to be optimistic about the chance of a pledge to build 1.5m new homes in England despite mounting concern about delays. Earlier this week, Reed said that he would “absolutely” meet the goal and widespread scepticism would make “celebration all the sweeter”, he told BBC Panorama. “My job should be on [...]
Rachel Reeves is in a hole, but she just keeps digging October 22, 2025 Only the Conservatives have a plan to turn the economy around by abolishing stamp duty, cut welfare spending and get Britain back to work, says Andrew Griffith Rachel Reeves’ much-dreaded Autumn Budget is now just over a month away. And with each passing week there is a crescendo building. It’s made up of voices from [...]
AI bubble will burst unless businesses can grow 25 times the size of Amazon October 21, 2025 When numbers get large enough they cease to make sense, and the scale of investment in AI is already dwarfing the dotcom bubble, says Chris Clothier Scarcely a day goes by without a new announcement of a huge sum of money to be spent on AI. In early October, Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, [...]