Reeves ‘pressures business chiefs to talk up the UK economy’ October 11, 2025 Rachel Reeves has ramped up pressure on business leaders to “talk up” the economy in the run up to the Autumn Budget. The Chancellor has framed her rallying cry to businesses that if they do not support a positive narrative around the economy, they risk Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The Treasury has warned top [...]
British icon in the red after Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes costs jobs October 10, 2025 John Smedley, the historic family-owned luxury knitwear brand, has been forced to raise prices and make redundancies as it battles Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes as it fell into the red. The Derbyshire-headquartered business can trace its roots back to 1784 and is currently run by the eighth generation of the Smedley family. Executive chairman [...]
Hiking VAT would have ‘serious negative impact’, economists warn Reeves October 10, 2025 A hike to VAT would “have a serious negative impact” on the UK, leading economists have warned, as the chancellor weighs which taxes to put up at next month’s Budget to plug a £30bn shortfall. An increase in the sales levy would have the biggest negative impact of any major tax rise, leading to a [...]
Tax fears heat up as firms ‘not ready for another Budget battering’ October 10, 2025 Tax fears across businesses in the UK are bubbling up, a leading survey has indicated, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is warned that firms are “not ready for another Budget battering” later this year. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC)’s survey has shown that business confidence remains in a fragile state amid nerves that another damaging [...]
Number of job seekers spike as high taxes continue to hurt UK economy October 10, 2025 The number of job seekers has spiked while a rise in starting salaries was “fractional”, according to analysis of leading survey data, in signs the jobs market is struggling to shake off higher taxes and low growth prospects. New monthly findings by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG have pointed to another rise [...]
UK outperforms US in creating unicorns from early stage VC investment October 9, 2025 The UK has created nearly three times as many unicorns than the US per dollar in early stage venture capital (VC) investment in the past decade, highlighting its attractiveness as an investment destination. According to analysis from venture-building firm IMS Digital Ventures, the UK has converted $18.5bn (£13.8bn) of early stage investment into 57 successful [...]
Lloyds banking group acquires remaining stake in Schroders personal wealth October 9, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group has completed the full acquisition of Schroders’ personal wealth arm, six years after the establishment of the unit. Lloyds acquired the remaining 49.9 per cent of Schroders Personal Wealth (SPW) from the asset manager, handing the bank sole control of the business. Lloyds noted the acquisition will support the group’s “ambition to [...]
Millions of Brits turn to ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ for healthcare treatments October 9, 2025 Millions of Brits are turning to the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ for help to pay for private healthcare treatment, as NHS waiting lists continue to remain high. According to a new survey by Howden Life and Health, over the past five years, nearly one-third of UK adults, or approximately 14m people, have paid for [...]
What will Rachel Reeves’ budget pay for and where will the money come from? October 9, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ November budget is fast approaching, and steep tax rises are once again on the cards. Speaking at Labour conference last month, the Chancellor hinted at tax hikes by warning that she will be forced into “harder choices” by “harsh global headwinds”. To balance the books in accordance with her much-discussed fiscal rules, Reeves [...]
UK pension provider looks to launch defined benefit superfund October 9, 2025 British pensions provider, TPT retirement solutions, is seeking to launch a defined benefit (DB) superfund, that will hold schemes rather than sell them to an insurance company. TPT, a mid-sized provider which manages £11.1bn of pension assets, has secured capital to fund the launch of the DB superfund and the first £1bn of transactions, in [...]