Natwest chair: Rachel Reeves’ Budget must include radical tax reform September 29, 2025 The chair of banking giant Natwest has called for Rachel Reeves to implement “radical tax reform” in her Autumn Budget. Rick Haythornthwaite has said a “bold long-term plan” to “kick-start growth” would reassure jittery bond markets and “deliver much-needed social benefits”. “This is the time for a 10-year programme of radical tax reform. Time for [...]
Instead of a taxi tax, Reeves should fix the absurd VAT system September 29, 2025 Reeves’ tax grab on taxis highlights the absurdity of the VAT system and raises the question of whether VAT should be levied more consistently across goods and services, says Ben Ramanauskas It has been reported that Rachel Reeves will announce at the Budget that taxi journeys will be subject to VAT. This has drawn criticism [...]
GBK: Gourmet Burger Kitchen creates 600 jobs amid profit return September 29, 2025 Gourmet Burger Kitchen has created almost 600 jobs as it returned to profit during its latest financial year. The restaurant chain increased its headcount from 1,652 to 2,235 in 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The results have also revealed that Gourmet Burger Kitchen achieved a pre-tax profit of £4.8m for the [...]
Labour to grant settled status only to working migrants September 29, 2025 The UK government will only grant settled status rights to working migrants under radical plans drawn up by Labour’s Shabana Mahmood. In a speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Mahmood will tell an audience of activists that the government will tighten its indefinite leave to remain rights, which allow migrants to gain settled [...]
Labour say manifesto stands ‘today’ as Reeves ducks VAT hike September 29, 2025 The Chancellor would not rule out fresh rises to VAT ahead of her speech to Labour Party Conference later today, when pressed on the issue by LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning. Asked whether Brits could face increases to the retail levy, Reeves said: “You’ll know we made those commitments in our manifesto, and those commitments [...]
Home Secretary outlines tougher guidelines for those seeking indefinite leave to remain September 28, 2025 Migrants who want to remain in the UK will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community, the Home Secretary will say. In her Labour Party conference speech on Monday, Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out a series of conditions for those seeking indefinite [...]
Starmer refuses to rule out VAT rise September 28, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to rule out any potential rises to VAT as he reinforced his commitment to Labour’s manifesto pledges in a new interview. In an interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, after being pressed on potential changes to VAT, Starmer said: “The manifesto stands. We made commitment in that manifesto and the [...]
Lime boss defends e-bikes amid ‘lime bike leg’ concerns September 27, 2025 Lime has become an unavoidable presence on London’s streets. Its distinctive green e-bikes are now the backbone of the capital’s micro-mobility network, with more than four million unique riders and tens of millions of trips recorded. The company has added 900 new parking bays this year alone as part of a “London Action Plan” designed [...]
The growing cost of cyber attacks: Why cyber insurance matters September 26, 2025 This year, headlines have been dominated by cyber attacks against prominent business names, causing disruptions and financial losses. But many of these businesses lacked a major tool: cyber insurance coverage. Marks & Spencer dominated the news in April and May after it was hit by a cyber attack, which forced the retail giant to suspend [...]
UK fintechs send rallying cry as industry slips in global ranking September 25, 2025 UK fintech leaders have sent a rallying call to policymakers after the sector slipped in global rankings. A host of industry bigwigs have told City AM the government must be bolder in growth-orientated reforms to bolster the sector’s standing against rivals. It comes after Z/Yen’s 38th Global Financial Centres Index showed the UK’s fintech sector [...]