The Debate: Does the Renters’ Rights Act punish landlords? October 29, 2025 The Renters’ Rights Act has been described as the sector's biggest shakeup in 40 years. Will it punish landlords, or just hold rogue ones to account?
Autumn Budget: Reeves must avoid tax encore for retail, HMV boss warns October 29, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of HMV joins a chorus of warnings to give the retail sector some reprieve. As high street music retailer HMV breezes into the all-important golden quarter, boss Phillip Halliday is eyeing a chart-topper [...]
Landlords advised to ‘get their ducks in a row’ as Renters’ Rights Bill signed to law October 28, 2025 The Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent yesterday after a year-long journey through Parliament. The bill, which will remove so-called no-fault evictions, strengthen tenant protections and digitalise the sector, promises to shake up the market for both landlords and tenants – with considerable new burdens for the former. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government [...]
HSBC: FTSE 100 lender’s profit slumps as legal costs jump October 28, 2025 Europe’s biggest lender, HSBC reported better-than-expected revenue in the third quarter, but recorded a double digit decline in profit as it set aside over a billion dollars following a fresh ruling on the Bernie Madoff fraud scheme. HSBC’s pre-tax profit fell to $7.3bn (£5.4bn) in the three months to September 30, a fall of nearly [...]
Business rates burden to disproportionately hit London offices October 28, 2025 The upcoming change in how business rates are calculated will affect far more office-based firms in London than elsewhere and may cause a rise in closures, according to a new report. The business tax reforms, scheduled for next April, will introduce a higher rate of payment for properties worth over £500,000. The new multiplier for [...]
The man on a mission to save the internet October 28, 2025 Search engines and publishers used to operate on a simple deal: publishers would let the likes of Google trawl their site, and in return Google would give them traffic. With the advent of AI, that deal is all but dead, leaving the internet’s old model under existential threat. Ali Lyon meets Matthew Prince, the man [...]
Here’s how to get Brits investing in equities October 28, 2025 Reeves should take a leaf out of America’s book when it comes to encouraging investment in stock and shares, says Charles Hall Although the focus in the Budget will be on the size and scope of tax increases, Rachel Reeves is also considering measures to increase economic activity, which includes encouraging savers to invest in [...]
Exclusive: Reeves risks Black Market Britain with gambling tax hike October 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves risks creating “Black Market Britain” if next month’s Budget sees significant tax raids on the gambling sector. Industry insiders have warned of the potentially catastrophic impact on bookmakers and gambling firms if levies on betting and online slot machines are hiked in line with recommendations by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The [...]
Housing market stalls as ‘fearmongering about budget’ hurts confidence October 27, 2025 House price growth in the UK has slowed and sales have dropped for the first time in two years as more buyers adopt a ‘wait and see’ strategy ahead of a tax-raising Budget next month. Zoopla found that the usual Christmas slowdown has “begun six to eight weeks early”, with buyer demand down eight per [...]
Rishi Sunak: Tax rises at Autumn budget would crush confidence October 26, 2025 Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves that she must cut spending at the next budget or risk economic disaster. Writing in his inaugural column for the Sunday Times, Sunak said that Reeves faces a “simple choice: spending cuts or tax rises.” “If the chancellor opts for the latter, it will crush [...]