Reeves’ ‘ambitious’ £14bn savings plan leaves Healey with a Budget headache September 23, 2026 Cost saving measures pencilled in by the last government have dramatically reduced Chancellor John Healey’s ability to look for spending cuts and efficiency gains at his first Budget, economists have warned, raising the prospect of fresh tax hikes. Healey is under pressure to rebuild his £23.6bn fiscal buffer, which is predicted to shrink due to [...]
How inheritance tax is becoming a ‘bill for ordinary households’ September 22, 2026 Inheritance tax receipts have hit a new high as frozen thresholds and rising property values drag more households into the tax net. Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts have hit £3.8bn so far this financial year, surpassing the £3.7bn recorded at the same point last year, according to the latest data from HMRC. Total receipts reached £8.5bn [...]
‘Worryingly large’: Labour’s debt cost racks up to £200bn September 22, 2026 More than £200bn has now been spent on covering government debt since Labour came into power, official figures show, reflecting the pressure bond traders have put on public finances in the last two years. Analysis of public finances data by City AM shows that debt interest payable to the government’s lenders in bond markets since [...]
‘Dismal’: Blow to Healey as government borrowing overshoots by billions September 22, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has missed key targets on government borrowing ahead of his inaugural Budget after the UK borrowed more than economists forecast in August. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing in August was £18.3bn, which was about £3.5bn above a prediction by the Office for Budget Responsibility and overshot market predictions. The [...]
Business rates cut will ‘backfire’ for Soho and West End September 22, 2026 John Healey’s plans to deliver an emergency tax cut for high street businesses would fail to boost most firms in London’s busiest areas like Soho and the West End, analysis suggests. The Chancellor is reportedly planning to cut taxes for pubs, shops, cafes and restaurants by hiking the threshold for small business rates relief (SBBR). [...]
Burnham to meet Trump amid Iran war’s inflation spike September 21, 2026 Andy Burnham is set to meet President Donald Trump face-to-face for the first time against the backdrop of the Iran war pushing inflation up to above four per cent within months. On his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham will meet Trump and several other world leaders. Burnham’s meeting with [...]
Energy costs and rate hikes to weigh on growth September 21, 2026 The UK economy is forecast to grow in 2026, but rising energy bills and higher borrowing costs will weigh on activity in the second half of the year. The economy is set to grow 1.3 per cent this year, according to KPMG’s latest economic outlook, after household spending was “supported by warmer weather” while businesses [...]
Tories consult senior barrister over ‘outrageous’ Wandsworth tax hike September 18, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservative party has consulted a senior barrister to challenge the government over local funding cuts, following the recent controversy over looming tax hikes at Wandsworth Council. Wandsworth Council, which is Tory-run, has recently announced that taxes will rise by 94 per cent for ‘band D’ residents, resulting in taxpayers having [...]
Mark my words: tax rises are coming September 18, 2026 After Rachel Reeves’ tax raids of over £40bn in her 2024 Budget and £26bn in the 2025 edition, it should be inconceivable that John Healey will come back for more. Yet all the sights point in that direction, says Emma Revell No City AM reader could be unaware that Britain’s current economic outlook is not [...]
Ignorance is no excuse for Labour’s economic failures September 18, 2026 John Healey is copying Rachel Reeves’ technique of gaslighting the nation into thinking he had no idea what the bind markets and OBR have been screaming at every fiscal event, says Tom Harwood It feels like “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher should have been irritatingly on repeat every morning this week. Why? [...]