The company using AI to keep workers away from NHS waiting rooms October 16, 2025 Simplyhealth has pledged to be a solution to the UK’s productivity crisis, linking rising corporate sick leave, which costs Britain’s economy an estimated £150bn annually, to the NHS’s long backlog of treatments. The health insurer is turning to agentic AI to scale its services, hoping to keep employees healthy and at their desks rather than [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves must focus on growth, not ‘gimmicks’ October 16, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the chief executive of founders club Helm calls for bold innovation policies took take centre stage. Chancellor Rachel Reeves should use her second Autumn Budget to make bolder swings for the UK’s innovation economy [...]
Leading economist slams ‘myth’ that landlords are under-taxed October 15, 2025 Tax hikes for landlords will be damaging to the economy and are based on a lack of understanding about investors, according to a leading economist. Paul Johnson, the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said that the UK “need[s] to think very carefully about how to tax housing and how to tax rental [...]
Downing Street refuses to rule out breaking Labour tax pledges October 15, 2025 Downing Street has refused to rule out breaking Labour manifesto tax pledges not to raise income tax, national insurance for workers or VAT, in a further indication that the government could look to raise revenue through one of the three big taxes. The Labour Party vowed not to raise national insurance, VAT or income tax [...]
UK banks tax rate rises as fears of a budget raid spike October 15, 2025 The tax rate on the UK banking sector rose in the last financial year as the industry braces for a potential hike to its financial burden in the Autumn Budget. A fresh study from banking industry body UK Finance and PwC revealed London lender’s total tax rate rose 0.6 per cent to 46.4 per cent [...]
Pat McFadden: I will get young people back to work October 15, 2025 The secretary of state for work and pensions, Pat McFadden, says Labour will tackle rising unemployment by ensuring young people don’t graduate into a life on benefits Since becoming work and pensions secretary, I’ve seen many brilliant examples of people – particularly the young – being supported towards employment. From partnerships with football clubs helping [...]
China spy scandal shows there’s no national security without economic sovereignty October 15, 2025 The government has made clear it thinks Beijing’s cash is more important that our own laws, there is another choice, says Tom Tugendhat The collapse of the China spy case says more about Britain than China, and more about our economy than any Treasury forecast. The government has made clear they think we have no [...]
Is your tech strategy good, or just AI theatre? October 15, 2025 Artificial intelligence has become the business world’s favourite performance recently. FTSE 100 earnings calls now mention AI more than inflation, and investor briefings increasingly resemble tech expos. Analysts report that AI references in UK company filings have tripled in the past year, yet the results aren’t matching the rhetoric. Markets are beginning to glance sideways. [...]
Detached, ignorant, and selfish: City broker blasts the Treasury October 14, 2025 City broker Shore Capital has blasted the Treasury as incapable of creating economic growth, as Britain gears up for a tax-raising budget. Rumours of various taxes that Rachel Reeves might introduce in this Autumn’s budget in an attempt to plug a £40bn gap in the nation’s finances have been swirling, despite strong pushback from companies and consumers. [...]
Public sector pay outpaces private amid Budget pressures October 14, 2025 Public sector pay has outstripped private sector pay on an annual basis, according to new official data, with the added pressures on public finances set to force Chancellor Rachel Reeves to hike taxes at the Budget. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said annual average regular earnings growth was 4.4 per cent for the private [...]