Natwest shares jump after cost-cutting boosts profit October 24, 2025 Natwest stock surged in early trading this morning after the lender posted a major bump in third-quarter profit following its cost-cutting regime. The FTSE 100 giant’s operating profit before tax surged over 30 per cent in the third quarter to £2.2bn, up from £1.7bn last year. Shares were up over five per cent as markets [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Natwest ups guidance, Retail sales rise October 24, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. As we get closer and closer to the Budget, businesses are becoming more and more vocal on their concerns over what could be in store. Yesterday it was the turn of London estate agent Foxton’s, which warned of softened demand as a result of Budget uncertainty. “Macroeconomic [...]
Motability cuts? Rachel Reeves is taking British taxpayers for a ride October 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves pledge to reform the absurd Motability scheme essentially amounts to giving alcoholics Peugeots instead of a BMWs, says Jack Rankin As Rachel Reeves continues to take the scenic route to the next Budget, rumours are swirling that she is setting her sights on the Motability Scheme, hoping to claw back around £1bn in [...]
Would you trust an AI to handle your divorce? October 24, 2025 AI could sweep away the power end of the legal market but it’s no match for a top divorce lawyer, says Ayesha Vardag AI is the buzzword of the moment. It’s in our phones, our homes, our courtrooms – and now, it seems, it’s coming for our professions. Even mine. As someone who has spent [...]
Rachel Reeves launches ‘Scale-up Unit’ in bid to woo fintechs October 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves will today launch the Treasury’s latest initiative to woo the UK fintech sector with the introduction of a “Scale-Up Unit”. In a visit to Leeds, the Chancellor will pledge to “super charge” UK innovation with the new body, which will be jointly led by the financing and banking watchdogs. The service will first [...]
Manufacturing order books suffer sharp drop October 23, 2025 Manufacturing activity in October suffered a sharp drop amid high interest rates and uncertainty around the upcoming Budget, a new survey has found. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s latest industrial trends survey has shown that the total orders balance fell to minus 38. The CBI said September’s figure showed a score of minus 28. [...]
Treasury’s LLP tax proposal could add £46,000 burden per partner October 23, 2025 Law firms’ partners could face an additional £1.4bn in tax each year if the Treasury goes ahead with imposing a 15 per cent rate of national insurance contributions on LLPs. According to data provided by HMRC to UHY Hacker Young, partners of law firms made a total of £9.2bn in profits in the latest year. [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves told avoid ‘pick and mix’ tax grabs October 23, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the managing director of TheCityUK warns Reeves not to patch up the tax tire just for it to deflate once more. The Chancellor has touted financial and professional services for their role “at the [...]
Only one in three Brits think home ownership is achievable in their lifetime October 23, 2025 Only 30 per cent of Brits expect to be able to afford a home within their lifetime, according to fresh research. Home ownership has become increasingly out of reach for Brits in the last three decades as wage increases have failed to keep up with rocketing house prices. The findings, from Barclays, represent a stark [...]
Regulation isn’t what’s holding business back – it’s tax October 23, 2025 The Chancellor has promised to “boldly regulate for growth” but that’s easy to say and costs nothing. The UK’s problem isn’t paperwork, it’s the relentless pressure of ever higher prices and government constraints, says Helen Thomas The Chancellor has given a Regional Investment Summit speech where she tapped into her inner Spock, promising to “go [...]