GDP grows 0.1 per cent as UK economy skirts recession February 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves received a small boost after the economy unexpectedly grew at the end of last year, ensuring the UK does not face an imminent recession. Output expanded 0.1 per cent in the final three months of the year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), after GDP rose 0.4 per cent in [...]
Former City minister Bim Afolami joins QCA with ‘unfinished business’ February 13, 2025 Former City minister minister Bim Afolami has joined the Quoted Companies Alliance board, in a ‘coup’ for the trade body that supports smaller and medium-sized listed companies. The former Tory MP and minister responsible for the Square Mile will sit on the QCA’s board, as it works to champion Britain’s small and medium-sized publicly traded [...]
How Sweden left socialism behind February 13, 2025 The myth of socialist Sweden persists but in fact it has left many of the policies of the 70s and 80s behind and become one of the most market-oriented societies in the world, says Rainer Zitelmann For decades, the production and sale of alcohol was heavily regulated by the state in Sweden. When it came [...]
Reform UK call for windfall tax on renewable energy in anti-net zero push February 12, 2025 Reform UK has said they would introduce a windfall tax on renewable energy as they announced they were “serving notice” on the industry. The party has detailed a set of “policies to undo the effects of net zero”, in the wake of a series of polls and voting intention surveys that saw it beat Labour [...]
Court chucks out HMRC double tax treaty case against RBC February 12, 2025 The UK Supreme Court, by a majority, dismisses HMRC's appeal over a double tax treaty linked to a North Sea oil production
Reeves faces tough choices as recession fears mount on UK downgrade February 12, 2025 The watchdog will put together four more forecasts in the coming weeks, but the earliest draft suggests that Reeves will be facing a small deficit in March, Bloomberg reported.
City chief to warn UK has become ‘allergic to risk’ February 12, 2025 The UK has become “allergic to risk”, the antidote to which “can’t come soon enough”, the City of London’s policy chair will warn in a speech today. Speaking at an annual jamboree on City policy, Chris Hayward will call for a cultural overhaul of how politicians and regulators perceive risk, and propose a slew of [...]
BP’s Net Zero push has crashed into reality February 12, 2025 I remember when I first encountered a hard copy FTSE 100 annual report. I was a first year undergraduate and my achingly left-wing lecturer in Business and Politics dropped copies in front of us in a seminar room, and asked us to rank the directors “on a fat cat scale.” I can still recall the [...]
Tax evasion likely ‘far higher’ than HMRC estimates February 12, 2025 The true scale of tax evasion is likely far higher than HMRC estimates, with the department “not sufficiently curious” about solving the problem, a government committee has said. The UK tax gap was £5.5bn in the 2022-23 financial year, equivalent to around 0.7 per cent of all taxes owed and considerably lower than similar economies. [...]
‘First of its kind’ sustainable skyscraper gets green light from City of London February 11, 2025 Planning permission for an innovative 33-story tower at the old headquarters of M&S has been approved by the City of London Corporation, the latest in a string of top-quality skyscrapers approved in the capital. The building at 70 Gracechurch Street, originally constructed in 1990s as the headquarters for Marks and Spencers, will deliver over 550,000 [...]