How will the UK economy perform in 2025? January 7, 2025 The economy has shown few signs of life since June and business surveys since October's Budget have painted an incredibly bleak picture of the year ahead.
Six months on, Labour’s pledge to restore trust in politics has proven nonsense January 7, 2025 Six months on, where have Labour's promises of radical reform gone, asks James Chapman in today's Notebook.
Retail gloom as festive season fails to save 2024 trading January 7, 2025 High street stores showed anaemic growth in the 2024 festive season, despite hopes that Christmas trading would inject some cheer into the sector. Sales grew just 0.3 per cent overall in the ‘golden quarter’, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Online sales continued to beat in-store, [...]
Reeves employer NIC tax plans raise wind-up fears for football clubs January 7, 2025 A total of 24 professional football clubs are in arrears to HMRC over PAYE debt, with experts fearing that number could rise due to Rachel Reeves’s budget. Clubs including Championship side Reading and National League Southend United are among those who received winding-up petitions from HMRC in 2024. But business experts have warned that changes [...]
Lucky Saint founder: Don’t let ‘Dry January’ dull Britain’s pub culture January 6, 2025 It is no secret that pub culture has long-been deeply ingrained into the social structure of Britain. That said, you’d be forgiven for assuming your latest Dry January drinking hiatus might result in a hiatus from socialising at your favourite local pub. Alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint, however, has launched a new nationwide campaign to [...]
UK firms shed jobs at fastest rate in three years amid payroll hikes January 6, 2025 Weak demand and higher payroll costs have led to the steepest decline in service sector jobs since January 2021, according to a new survey. Nearly a quarter of survey respondents reported a fall in workforce levels, while 12 per cent signalled a rise, data from the S&P Global UK Services PMI showed. “Service providers widely [...]
Lloyd’s of London insurer snubs the City with New York IPO plans January 6, 2025 A Lloyd’s of London insurer has dealt a fresh blow to the City by snubbing the London Stock Exchange in favour of New York for its planned IPO, piling fresh pressure on the capital’s bourse after it shrank at the fastest pace on record last year. Aspen Insurance, an underwriting firm which operates out of [...]
UK economy to stage ‘welcome recovery’ thanks to consumer rebound January 6, 2025 The firm forecast that GDP will increase by 1.7 per cent over 2025, double the 0.8 per cent expansion anticipated for 2024.
Business confidence slumps in ‘pressure cooker’ of higher taxes January 6, 2025 The British Chamber of Commerce's quarterly survey showed that 63 per cent of firms cited tax as a worry in the final quarter of last year, up from 48 per cent in the third quarter.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s to shed light on Christmas sales performance January 5, 2025 The UK’s biggest supermarket groups will shed light next week on how they fared over the key Christmas period amid pressure on shoppers’ budgets. Tesco and Sainsbury’s will both provide third-quarter updates for investors and analysts, where they will reveal their sales for the weeks running up to Christmas. Both grocers are expected to reveal [...]