David Lammy avoids urgent questions on jury scrapping plans November 27, 2025 Justice secretary David Lammy was a no-show at urgent questions in the House of Commons on Thursday, prompting Robert Jenrick to ask about his whereabouts as the justice minister took his place. The questions stem from a leaked memo reported on Tuesday, in which Lammy proposed scrapping some jury trials to tackle the backlog of [...]
Banks keep up their end of Rachel Reeves’ tax bargain November 27, 2025 The banking industry has given Rachel Reeves some much-needed ammunition as she attempts to defend her tax-heavy Autumn Budget. After being spared from a highly-anticipated cash grab, a fleet of banks announced a fresh pump of capital in the UK economy. Britain’s largest retail bank Lloyds Banking Group unveiled £35bn of new finance for 2026 [...]
Big Tech pays up as Reeves keeps digital tax November 27, 2025 The Treasury slipped out its long-awaited review of the UK’s Digital Services Tax alongside yesterday’s Budget – and despite months of diplomatic sabre-rattling from Washington, the government is digging in. Big Tech, it seems, will still have to cough up. The report, required by legislation and published with all the enthusiasm of a rainy Tuesday, [...]
Multi-billion Earls Court redevelopment given green light November 27, 2025 A £10bn masterplan to redevelop the former Earls Court Exhibition Centres has been given the green light by Hammersmith council. The planning committee unanimously agreed to grant planning permission for the 44-acre site, which will be transformed as a new neighbourhood with around 4,000 homes in addition to leisure and cultural venues. “Earls Court will [...]
MMA in the Olympics? New global body targets Games inclusion November 27, 2025 Mixed-martial arts could be added to the Olympic Games under plans announced today by Asian MMA chiefs. The Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA) says it wants to unify the sport under a new world governing body called FIMMA, which will meet for the first time next week. They believe that will boost their chances [...]
Brain drain: Net migration plummets to pre-pandemic low as more Brits flee November 27, 2025 Net migration has fallen to a pre-pandemic low, official statistics have shown, as successive Tory and Labour governments have looked to tighten controls on visas. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said net migration dropped to 204,000 in the year ending June 2025, around two-thirds lower than levels a year earlier. The large fall [...]
Banks to pay ombudsman more as Treasury crackdown costs £8m November 27, 2025 Banks will pay more to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the next year as the body strums up cash for its bill to meet the Treasury’s clampdown. Financial services will pay the FOS £86m in the 2026/27 financial year – an increase of £16m – under new proposals, which aim to beef up the Compulsory [...]
‘Deceiving’ Budget: Reeves to delay debt ‘repair’ amid interest rate hold fears November 27, 2025 A left-leaning think tank has sounded the alarm on the the delay of the “repair job” for public finances after Rachel Reeves increased short-term borrowing levels to pay for higher welfare spending next year. The Resolution Foundation, which was previously headed by Treasury minister Torsten Bell, suggested Rachel Reeves’ Budget was “deceiving” by back-loading consolidation [...]
Relief for Cirata after FCA closes investigation November 27, 2025 Cirata execs have breathed a sigh of relief after the financial regulator closed a two-year investigation into the software firm, drawing a line under the dramatic events that caused the firm’s stock to plummet. In March 2023, Cirata – or Wandisco, as it was then known – revealed it had massively overstated its sales figures, [...]
JP Morgan makes £10bn UK bet as banks dodge tax raid November 27, 2025 JP Morgan is set to double down on the UK with plans to build its largest European presence through a new tower in Canary Wharf. The US banking juggernaut said it intends to build a new 3m square feet tower in London, which will inject as much as £10bn over the next six years into [...]