Reform UK receives £9m donation from billionaire businessman Christopher Harborne Politics Reform UK has received the largest ever political donation from a single living person as Thai-based billionaire Christopher Harborne injected £9m into the party. Reform’s precursor organisation, the Brexit Party, previously received donations from Harborne in 2019 and 2020 but it had not yet received donations directly from the billionaire. His £9m donation in August [...]
Chancellor Rachel Reeves denies misleading public over finances before Budget Politics Chancellor Rachel Reeves has denied misleading the public over UK finances before the Budget, stating she “was very upfront” about the need to find more money, despite not mentioning £4.2bn surplus. The Chancellor has found herself in the firing line since Wednesday’s crunch Budget, as she faces increasing questions from opposition figures over claims she [...]
Government to reconsider Waspi women compensation claim after new evidence Business The decision not to award compensation to women affected by the rise in state pension age will be reviewed, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said, after new evidence came to light. Pat McFadden confirmed the decision will be reconsidered and the government will withdraw from the judicial review brought by the Women Against State [...]
Mel Stride rules out electoral pact with Reform October 30, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has insisted the Conservatives will not strike an electoral deal with Reform UK due to their “completely ruinous” economic agenda. In an interview with a new online magazine led by the centre-right think tank Bright Blue, Stride said his party should avoid “indulging in populist politics” and focus on calling out [...]
Looking for Growth? Look no further. October 27, 2025 The fury online is palpable, high-fliers feel undervalued, and ‘Britain is Broken’ has become the ridiculing punchline enjoyed by American crypto traders and digital nomads. Here though, at a mini arena in Greenwich on a Thursday night, Looking for Growth – LFG – is not a lost cause. Some attendees are unsure exactly what they [...]
Net zero targets “are not helping” claims shadow energy secretary October 19, 2025 Shadow energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, has claimed that Labour’s net zero targets” are not helping” the UK’s economy. In an interview with Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, Countinho linked the government’s climate targets to the ongoing cost of living crisis. She said: “We’ve said we would repeal the climate change target, and we actually think the [...]
State pension set to rise by more than expected in blow to Reeves October 14, 2025 The state pension is set to rise by more than previously expected after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revised up its figures on wage growth for July, piling extra costs on public finances for Chancellor Rachel Reeves at this year’s Budget. The ONS revised up its wage growth figure for July from 4.7 per [...]
Margaret Thatcher would never have made a pact with Farage October 13, 2025 On the 100th birthday of Margaret Thatcher, Alys Denby reflects on what lessons she’s learned from the Iron Lady, and why her legacy remains relevant today… My mother tells me that when I was about three, I asked her if a woman could be a doctor. She replied: “darling, a woman is Prime Minister!”. It [...]
Don’t stop at housing, abolish stamp duty on shares too October 10, 2025 Abolishing stamp duty on housing would be a bold step towards economic renewal. But don't stop there, says Blake Stephenson.
Take it from someone homeless, cutting stamp duty will improve lives October 9, 2025 The Conservatives will make homeownership easier, but we must make it easier to build too, says Laurence Fredricks I am a senior researcher at Onward, leading our work on housing policy, and a Policy Fellow at Conservative YIMBY. But as a consequence of London’s housing affordability and availability problem, I am also homeless. Months of [...]