FCA pressed to investigate Treasury over Budget briefings November 29, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has been urged to wade into the row between the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility and investigate government briefings about a so-called £20bn fiscal hole. Scottish National Party leader Stephen Flynn urged the City regulator to investigate Reeves and other Downing Street officials over “deliberately false and misleading” briefings [...]
Reeves ends Budget week with more unanswered questions than she started with November 29, 2025 It was supposed to be the week that ended months of uncertainty. But Rachel Reeves has finished Budget week with more questions to answer than she started with. Not all of it was bad. Increasing the fiscal headroom was prudent. Cutting back motability spending was sensible. Removing a loophole that allowed private hire firms to [...]
Business leaders fear more tax rises are on the way November 28, 2025 Businesses leaders are bracing for more tax rises even following another hefty cash raid from Rachel Reeves in her second Autumn Budget. Over two thirds of top bosses have said they fear business leaders will be targeted with more tax hikes even after the Chancellor raised taxes to the tune of £26bn on Wednesday. A [...]
‘Day-one’ rights abandoned: Lawyers warn six-month rule marks significant change for businesses November 28, 2025 The government has caved at the final hurdle after weeks of the House of Lords ping-ponging the Employment Rights Bill over the controversial ‘day one’ rights. The House of Lords has been fighting back against several key points in the Bill, especially the day-one rights. The highly contested Bill was a significant part of Labour’s [...]
FTSE 100 Live: London house prices fall amid Budget jitters November 28, 2025 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Markets were still digesting the twist, turns and taxes of the Autumn Budget on Thursday, with ministers taking to the media to defend the £26bn cash raid. A number of businesses began weighing in, including Britain’s bookies, which were in the firing line when Reeves took to the [...]
Salary sacrifice cap will hit ordinary earners hardest, research finds November 28, 2025 Reeves’ crunch Budget measures ranged from freezing income tax thresholds to fresh levies on milkshakes and lattes as she sought to lower the UK’s fiscal headroom. But it was her decision to rip up the salary sacrifice scheme that sparked the largest reaction from employers and employees alike. Under the most popular form of salary [...]
Mansion tax is an ‘assault’ on London’s property market November 27, 2025 The UK’s new ‘mansion tax’ is set to hit homeowners in London hard, particularly for middle-class Londoners who have seen the price of their property balloon in the last two decades. Chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced a new high-value council tax surcharge for owners of properties valued at over £2m in her second Budget on Wednesday. [...]
UK government denies brain drain due to high tax burden November 27, 2025 The UK government has denied that more Brits are leaving the country because of a higher tax burden. The Prime Minister’s spokesman denied suggestions that tens of thousands of Brits were fleeing the country due to higher taxes after the Budget raised the burden by another £26bn to a historic high. Morning Wire analysis showed [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]