Healey says growth is ‘pathway out of debt’ but bats away tax questions September 7, 2026 Chancellor John Healey said he will “not speculate” on expected tax rises at his maiden Budget next month as he said growth was at the “heart of fiscal challenges” facing the UK. In his first major speech as Chancellor in Coventry, Healey batted away questions about whether businesses and households were set to face another [...]
House prices fall for first time in three years as borrowing costs weigh on buyers September 7, 2026 House prices fell in the year to August in the first annual decrease in nearly three years, as high borrowing costs cause prospective buyers to “sit tight”. The average UK house price edged down 0.2 per last month to £298,468, according to Lloyds’ house price index. This marks a 0.4 per cent year-on-year fall, the [...]
Business confidence hits two-year high ahead of Budget September 6, 2026 Business confidence has risen to a near-two-year high as the output of UK firms grows despite the looming October Budget. The optimism of British firms has reached its highest level since just before the 2024 Autumn Budget, according to advisory firm BDO. Its business optimism index jumped to 94.22 in August, fuelled by a strong [...]
Britain ‘taxing itself to death,’ Burnham warned September 6, 2026 One of the US’ leading economists has warned Andy Burnham that Britain is “taxing itself to death” in a major intervention ahead of the October Budget. Arthur Laffer, a former economic adviser to three presidents, has warned that the UK is in a “death spiral” ahead of his visit to the country. He wrote in [...]
Jenrick pledges to raise tax-free personal allowance to £15,000 September 5, 2026 Robert Jenrick has pledged to raise the tax-free personal allowance from £12,570 to £15,000 in his first budget as Chancellor if Reform UK is elected into government. In a speech on Saturday, Jenrick will say that the £21bn tax cut would show the party’s mission to “choose the worker”. He will add that Reform would [...]
Inflation expectations softer than predicted ahead of interest rate decision September 4, 2026 Firms intend to raise prices over the next year on average at a lower rate than many economists have expected, Bank of England research has shown, easing concerns that the UK economy is heading for a deeper cost of living crisis. The Decision Makers’ Panel, a Bank survey of how far firms plan to raise [...]
John Caudwell: I backed Labour, but they haven’t kept their promises September 4, 2026 We should be making it easier for entrepreneurs to invest, employ and expand. Instead we are giving them more reasons to look elsewhere.
Lloyd’s boss warns of ‘man-made catastrophes’ as Iran war hits insurance industry September 4, 2026 Squeezed by inflation and rising geopolitical tensions, the historic insurance market Lloyd’s of London suffered a hit to its profit in the first half of the year. Nowhere was this impact more acute than in its marine business, which faced severe pressure at the height of the US war with Iran. Over the past six [...]
Bank of England’s Pill warns against ‘wait and see’ interest rates approach September 3, 2026 The Bank of England’s chief economist has warned that a “wait and see approach” to setting interest rates amid the ongoing Iran war could unleash a fresh wave of inflation that the central bank will find hard to contain if left unchecked. Huw Pill, who has long been one of the most hawkish rate-setters on [...]
Reform UK chiefs ask to meet gilt holders amid bond rout September 3, 2026 Robert Jenrick has asked to meet with top traders at the likes of Barclays and Goldman Sachs in London and New York who hold UK gilts as a recent surge in borrowing costs threatens the UK’s public finances. Reform’s Treasury spokesman announced at the Reform conference that he had written to the major holders of [...]