Up to £115bn government spending cuts ‘staring us in the face’ October 22, 2025 Around £115bn in cuts to government spending each year are “staring us in the face”, according to a new report, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces increasing pressure to regain control of the public finances. In a paper published by the think tank Policy Exchange, the Chancellor has been warned to prevent a “twin-pronged fiscal crisis” [...]
Lifetime ISA hands £1bn boost to Treasury coffers amid debate over purpose October 21, 2025 The Lifetime ISA has provided the Treasury with a significant fiscal boost each year since 2021, despite the government continuing to question whether it is ultimately fit for purpose. According to research from CBI Economics, commissioned by Moneybox, the Lifetime ISA (LISA) has delivered a net boost of £1bn to date for the government since [...]
How sport can take tackle Gen Z’s problem with gender polarisation October 21, 2025 Gender is as becoming as divisive as race, politics and economics among but sport can play its part in fixing a growing problem among Gen Z, writes Matt Readman. It’s been 25 years since Nelson Mandela famously said that sport could “unite people in a way that little else does”. While sport has sometimes mirrored social [...]
FCA to take control of anti-money laundering supervision of professional service firms in major reform October 21, 2025 The government’s reform of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision will significantly change and diminish the roles of the legal regulator and HMRC. Today, the Treasury revealed the outcome of its consultation on reforming anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision, primarily for professional services, by creating a Single Professional Services Supervisor (SPSS), with the Financial [...]
Coca-Cola HBC in £2bn Africa takeover October 21, 2025 London-listed bottling business Coca-Cola HBC is to acquire Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in a $3.4bn (£1.9bn) deal. The cash-and-shares deal, which will be part-funded by a new bridge debt facility, will see a transfer of the ownership of the African bottling business after 85 years of ownership by the South African Gutsche family. The move will [...]
On this day: Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar October 21, 2025 On This Day, 21 October 1805, Britain’s greatest ever naval hero proved conclusively that Britannia rules the waves… and died in the process, writes Eliot Wilson Today, 21 October, in 1805. It is a Monday, shortly after 5.30am, 25 miles off the coast of southern Spain. As dawn breaks, the skies are mostly clear, the [...]
Reeves ‘flying blind’ on non-doms as ultra-rich couple move to Milan October 21, 2025 Rachel Reeves will go into next month’s budget “flying blind” over the number of non-doms that have left the UK, a new report has warned on the day that a high-profile couple relocated to Milan in response to the Chancellor’s crackdown last autumn. The study, which was compiled by former Treasury economist Chris Walker, found [...]
The top one per cent account for a third of tax revenue October 21, 2025 The top one per cent of taxpayers account for around a third of all income tax and capital gains tax paid in 2023-24, it has been revealed. According to HMRC, the top 500,000 taxpayers contributed £93.8bn last year, which represented 33 per cent of the total raised. The top 100,000 paid £54.9bn and covered a [...]
UK government borrowing soars in September to highest in five years October 21, 2025 UK government borrowing soared north of £20bn in September, official data has revealed, in another blow for Rachel Reeves as she gears up for a painful tax-raising Budget next month. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said government borrowing over the month was the highest seen for five years and an increase of £1.6bn compared [...]
Third of employers would hire young people if offered tax credits October 21, 2025 Over a third of employers would hire more young people if they were offered tax credits, fresh research has found, amid reports the government is drawing up a plan to subsidise employment for under 24-year-olds. Research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) showed some 36 per cent of employers claiming they would offer role [...]