Financial exclusion is a barrier to sustainable growth October 28, 2024 Britain has a two-track financial system, with world-beating services for some and a poverty premium for others, says Charles Randell With a week to go until the Budget, what measures does the Financial Inclusion Commission – a cross-party group of financial experts from business, politics and the charity sector – advise the Chancellor to take [...]
Lloyds shares slump as analysts warn of £3.9bn motor finance bill October 28, 2024 Shares in Lloyds Banking Group and Close Brothers fell further on Monday after a landmark London court ruling that could expose motor finance providers to billions in extra compensation.
Why these City firms will be the winners and losers of Rachel Reeves’s Budget October 28, 2024 Nervousness has gripped the City over the past month. A vacuum of fiscal policy has been filled by speculation and companies are scrambling to draw up plans ahead of a potentially punitive tax-raiding Budget from Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. Among the most gloomy warnings have been an inadvertent gutting of London’s junior AIM market [...]
Business confidence in UK economy falls ahead of Reeves’s maiden Budget October 28, 2024 Lloyds' Business Barometer fell by three points to 44 in October, down three points on the month before and a four-month low.
Why businesses are nervous ahead of the Budget October 28, 2024 Businesses are wary as Chancellor Rachel Reeves puts the final touches to her first Budget.
Labour’s pro-business boasts ring hollow October 28, 2024 Rachel Reeves once vowed that if Labour won they “would be the most pro-business government this country has ever seen”. With just two days to go until the Budget, that pre-election pledge appears to be in the gutter. Reassuring the business community was an essential part of Labour’s pitch for power, but almost everything they’ve [...]
I’ve had an incredible year as Lord Mayor – here’s to the next 695 October 28, 2024 Next week the 696th Lord Mayor of London takes office followed by the Lord Mayor’s Show. As I reflect on the past year in this, my last mayoral column, I hear the American philosopher, William James: “It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition”. I can tell you it takes [...]
Autumn Budget 2024: Working people debate a ‘terrible illusion’, former Bank of England governor says October 27, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to increase taxes significantly in Wednesday's Budget, with reports indicating that she will raise £20bn by hiking employers' national insurance.
A Budget for stability must mean less is more October 27, 2024 As it prepares for its first Budget, it’s critical the government considers something important but quite dull: practicality If you’d attended the government’s International Investment Summit last week and your bingo card had the words ‘regulation’, ‘stability’ and ‘growth’ on it, you’d have been over the moon. Yes, both the Prime Minister and Chancellor were [...]
Starmer denies misleading the public over tax rises in Labour manifesto October 26, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has denied misleading the public at the general election over tax plans after he suggested people who make money from shares and property could face greater levies. The Prime Minister rejected claims he was waging a “war on middle Britain” amid pre-Budget speculation he could increase the burden for those who have [...]