This is why the UK’s tech tax still riles Washington May 9, 2025 The UK and US have trumped a new trade framework aimed at unlocking growth between the two allies, but one key irritant remains notably unresolved: Britain’s tech tax or Digital Services Tax (DST). The two per cent levy, introduced in 2020 under Boris Johnson, continues to rankle American officials, particularly because it disproportionately affects the [...]
Kogan set for football regulator role after CMS committee endorsement May 9, 2025 David Kogan looks set to be confirmed as chair of the football regulator after a Culture, Media and Sport committee gave him a qualified endorsement for the role. In a report following his grilling by MPs on Wednesday, the committee said it was “content to endorse David Kogan OBE’s appointment as Chair of the Independent [...]
Is the UK-US trade deal a win for Starmer? May 9, 2025 In what has been hailed by trade experts as “the biggest week for UK trade since Brexit,” the UK has struck the long-awaited trade deal with the US, just over a month after – so-called ‘Liberation Day’ – tariffs were announced. This is the US’ first bilateral deal since these tariffs were imposed. But it’s [...]
Time to build homes on the green belt, Sadiq Khan says in major strategy pivot May 8, 2025 Sir Sadiq Khan is to call for homes to be built on London’s green belt in a major strategic shift on housing policy. In a speech on Friday, the mayor of London is to announce that City Hall will “actively explore” releasing parts of the green belt in a bid to bring an end to [...]
Week in Business: Why Britain needs reform May 8, 2025 In light of current difficulties and long-term challenges, the UK economy needs a dose of radical reform - but who will have that conversation?
Trump poised to announce US trade deal with UK May 8, 2025 President Trump will announce a US-UK trade deal today, according to a New York Times report which has since been backed up by Sky News. In a post on X, Sky News’ Sam Coates said that the claims are “substantive”, and that the announcement today would be “a ‘heads of terms’ agreement rather than the [...]
Rachel Reeves to blame for UK’s economic uncertainty, report says May 7, 2025 Responsibility for the UK’s sluggish growth prospects should lie squarely with Rachel Reeves’ fiscal policy, Britain’s oldest independent economics research institute has said, as it warned tax rises left the economy in a “risky and vulnerable position.” A report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research pinned the economic uncertainty harming business confidence [...]
Andy Haldane: Government’s bid to cut red tape ‘has little chance of success’ May 7, 2025 The government’s call for regulators to slash red tape “has little chance of success” unless watchdogs’ mandates are changed in law, according to the Bank of England’s former Chief Economist Andy Haldane. Speaking at the Morning Wire Awards in London’s Guildhall, Haldane criticised the government’s policy of seeking regulatory reform “via exhortation and press release” [...]
UK construction crumbles in April as ‘bumpy ride’ continues May 7, 2025 UK construction endured another month of collapsing output in April, new research has suggested, in signs that a turnaround in the sector is still distant. The sector has now seen a decline in output over four consecutive months, according to S&P Global’s newest purchasing managers’ index (PMI). Civil engineering remained the weakest area of construction [...]
Winter fuel payment U-turn not enough to win back support, Labour MPs say May 6, 2025 The government is under increasing pressure from its backbenchers to reverse winter fuel cuts amid warnings that even a U-turn would not go far enough to restore trust with voters. There is talk that senior government officials are reconsidering government’s earlier decision to restrict winter fuel payments to pensioners who qualify for income-related benefits, which [...]