Mike Cherry interview: Now is not the time to saddle small businesses with higher taxes January 27, 2022 The pandemic has been a bumpy ride for Britain’s entrepreneurs and small businesses. Trying to navigate the choppy waters of the government swinging between tougher and looser restrictions to tame Covid-19 has been fraught with risk and uncertainty. But, one thing seems for sure: the looming heavier tax burden will weigh heavily on small firms, [...]
Swelling tax burden to highest level since 1950s is ‘understandable’ January 27, 2022 The government’s decision to saddle Brits with the heaviest tax burden since the 1950s is “understandable,” according to a group of cross-party MPs. A ramping up of government spending announced at the October budget to deal with the ongoing fallout of the Covid-19 crisis is needed “given that the country is still in the midst [...]
Sunak says he is not ‘ignoring’ the billions of pounds of Covid fraud January 26, 2022 Rishi Sunak has moved to assure people he is not “ignoring” or “writing off” billions of pounds stolen from the government’s Covid support schemes. The chancellor today said that “criminals sought to exploit our support schemes”, but that “we’re doing everything we can to get that money back”. Treasury minister lord Theodore Agnew resigned spectacularly [...]
Octopus Energy doubts industry can rescue households from soaring energy bills January 26, 2022 Octopus Energy has questioned whether households can be spared from a painful spike in energy bills this spring.
Sunak has enough room to scrap national insurance hike, according to top City economists January 25, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has enough room to scrap the looming national insurance hike to ease the heavy cost of living burden weighing Brits down, according to leading City economists. Bumper tax revenues driven by the UK economy performing much better than forecast has provided the Chancellor with a big enough tax windfall to cancel the [...]
Public sector borrowing nears £147bn, second highest since records began in 1993 January 25, 2022 The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said this morning public sector borrowing from the end of March to December was £146.8 billion – the second highest since records began in 1993. Government borrowing stood at £16.8 billion in December, down by £7.6 billion from the same month a year earlier, according to official figures. The [...]
National insurance hike completely unnecessary says Brexit veteran Lord Frost as Tory calls to drop £12bn tax increase swell January 25, 2022 Lord Frost has urged Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak not to raise taxes in April as cost-of-living is set to increase for most Brits. The Prime Minister’s former Brexit chief joined the growing number of senior Conservatives to call for the planned national insurance hike to be scrapped. The former Brexit Minister – who resigned [...]
Boris Johnson did have surprise birthday party during lockdown and yes, it was indoors, No 10 admits January 25, 2022 Downing Street has admitted the Prime Minister did have a birthday celebration inside No 10 during the first lockdown. Downing Street conceded that staff “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet Room following a meeting after it was alleged 30 people attended and shared cake despite social mixing indoors being banned. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “A [...]
Sunak reportedly tries to distance himself from £12bn National Insurance hike January 23, 2022 Rishi Sunak is reportedly trying to distance himself from a £12bn National Insurance hike due to be enforced in April, with the chancellor telling Tory MPs that it is the “Prime Minister’s tax”. Backbench Conservative MPs are rallying for the chancellor to scrap the tax rise, with many complaining that it will come as families [...]
Business Secretary says households will have to wait until March for help with soaring energy bills January 21, 2022 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said households must wait until March to find out what help the government can offer for rising energy bills.