Unemployment rises as concerns grow for UK jobs market October 14, 2025 The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.8 per cent in September, while the inactivity rate was 21 per cent, “largely unchanged” on the previous quarter but below levels seen a year ago. The estimated number of vacancies in the UK also fell by 9,000, marking the 39th consecutive period of job posting declines. The ONS [...]
Labour dismisses ‘smears’ over Chinese spy case as top Tory calls defence ‘absurd’ October 13, 2025 A senior minister has dismissed accusations that the Labour government deliberately collapsed the Chinese spy case as being a “whole series of baseless smears.” Security minister Dan Jarvis told parliament that the previous Conservative government’s failure to clarify definitions in the Official Secrets Act of 1920 led to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropping a [...]
Jonathan Powell urged to answer questions on Chinese spy case in public October 13, 2025 National security adviser Jonathan Powell has been urged to answer questions on the collapse of a Chinese spy case in public, with the government doubling down on its defence that it did not subvert the trial to maintain diplomatic ties with Beijing. Powell is set to appear before a private committee in parliament to answer [...]
Nigel Farage vows to make savings before tax cuts October 13, 2025 Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has vowed to make sweeping spending cuts before cutting taxes for Brits while hitting out at “cretins” for imposing too much regulation in the City in comments that reflect his moves to take on economic policy head-on. Farage said the party’s next manifesto would be “fully-costed”, a statement that reflects the [...]
Legal profession hits back at Robert Jenrick threat against ‘activist’ judges October 13, 2025 Legal bodies representing over 250,000 lawyers have hit back against “politically motivated attacks” on the legal sector as “irresponsible and dangerous”, a week after the shadow justice secretary pledged to sack ‘activist’ judges. Last Tuesday, speaking at the Tory Conference, Robert Jenrick announced a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as “pro-migration bias” in the [...]
A harmful budget risks shattering IPO revival, Cavendish chief warns October 13, 2025 The boss of a London-listed investment bank has warned Rachel Reeves must be “careful” her budget policies do not damage the recuperating IPO market. Speaking to Morning Wire at City & Financial Global’s Capital Markets Summit, Julian Morse, chief executive of Cavendish, said: “The main driver [of the IPO market] is the economy, so if [...]
Reeves considers tax breaks for startups in effort to preserve headroom October 13, 2025 Reports have suggested that Rachel Reeves is considering offering entrepreneurs new tax reliefs as she tries to stimulate growth in the economy and unlock productivity. As part of an effort to limit the damage to the current headroom of £9.9bn due to productivity downgrades by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), Reeves is reportedly discussing [...]
Badenoch seeks answers from Starmer on China spy case collapse October 13, 2025 Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer with questions regarding the collapse of the trial of alleged Chinese spies amid a deepening row over Labour’s handling of national security and trade relations with the world’s second largest economy. Badenoch has demanded Starmer come clean on national security adviser Jonathan Powell’s role [...]
Finance chiefs fear UK is falling behind as Labour growth push falls flat October 13, 2025 UK finance chiefs believe the country is falling behind rivals as costs are stacking up and squeezing profit margins, a new survey has shown, with further alarm bells ringing that businesses are losing faith in Labour’s drive for growth. The government has moved to curry favour with top investment bosses as Rachel Reeves met the [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to levy one-off wealth tax October 13, 2025 Researchers say Rachel Reeves should introduce a one-off wealth tax to avoid the “direct disincentive” of an annual levy. But the Chancellor risks wreaking havoc on the UK economy unless she breaks Labour manifesto commitments and introduces vast reforms to the wider tax system, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). [...]