Autumn Budget: B&Q boss hands Reeves tool kit for growth November 12, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the boss of retail stalwart B&Q warns truly fixing the foundations starts with building confidence. After Labour’s monumental 2024 general election sweep, Chancellor Rachel Reeves seized her economic tool kit, telling Britons she was “fixing [...]
Brits confidence in European economy outpaces UK as Budget fears grow November 11, 2025 Brits have admitted to having more confidence in the strength of the European and global economy than the UK as Budget fears consume the country. Fresh Barclays research has revealed Brits confidence in the European economy has ranked above the UK for the tenth consecutive month. Of the 2,000 surveyed, 22 per cent had faith [...]
Booming Manchester outshines ‘stagnant’ London November 4, 2025 Greater Manchester’s booming economy is outstripping the rest of the country and throwing into sharp relief the “stagnant” state London has found itself in since the 2008 financial crisis, according to a new report. As Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out the productivity challenges facing the UK ahead of the Budget, new analysis from Oxford Economics [...]
Manufacturers urge government to ‘get growth off the floor’ at Budget November 4, 2025 The manufacturing industry has warned the government to prioritise growth in the Budget as the sector fights back from a year-long downturn in the face of “existential threats.” Manufacturers have faced mounting pressures over the last 12 months as business costs soared in the aftermath of Labour’s first Budget before tariff uncertainty and persistently high [...]
Autumn Budget could ‘exacerbate’ manufacturing challenges November 3, 2025 Fears that the UK manufacturing industry’s recovery could be “short-lived” have jumped as firms brace for a painful Autumn Budget. The latest S&P Global’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 49.7 in October, marking a 12-month high for the sector. But this remained stubbornly below the all-important 50.0 threshold, which indicates whether a [...]
World-leading office demand and a severe supply crunch meet in London October 30, 2025 New research shows that London is the most attractive European city for commercial office investment, but its future is under threat from a lack of construction. Central London has the lowest vacancy rate among international peers – two thirds lower than Manhattan’s – demonstrating continued global appeal, according to the London Property Alliance. Prime rents [...]
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 [...]
Ballooning office rents price creative industries out of UK cities October 27, 2025 The UK’s creative industries are under threat from a spike in rents and a shortage of suitable space, according to a new report. With rents up a third since 2019 and growth in the creative industries stalling, businesses are being priced out of urban areas as workspace costs soar and margins tighten. “If these threats [...]
Flash of ‘hope’ ahead of Budget as manufacturing roars back to life October 24, 2025 The UK economy had a flash of “hope” in October after manufacturing roared back to life ending a year-long slump. The latest ‘flash’ PMI from S&P Global showed business activity jumped to a two-month high at 51.1, this was up from 50.1 in September. The growth was driven by a sharp uptick from the manufacturing sector which hit [...]
Retail sales hit highest since 2022 in surprise boost for economy October 24, 2025 Retail sales jumped to their highest level since 2022 in September, boosted by sunny weather that drove a surge in demand for clothing. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed retail sales were 0.9 per cent higher than the previous three months. Sales volumes climbed 0.5 per cent in September, a significant boost from [...]