UK economy: Does Labour’s economic hotchpotchism matter? January 21, 2025 Although gilt jitters have eased, the embattled Chancellor now faces a new and far more serious criticism.
Davos: Reeves to meet Trump allies in search for UK growth January 20, 2025 Rachel Reeves is expected to meet Donald Trump’s allies at Davos in a bid to talk up the UK’s growth prospects. The Chancellor is set to attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in the days following the US President’s inauguration and in the wake of turmoil in the UK bond markets. It follows a [...]
‘Unsustainable’ sickness benefits cost UK more than defence, Lords warn January 20, 2025 The UK is spending more on “financially unsustainable” sickness benefits than defence, and “urgent” reform to the welfare system is needed to rein in costs, a group of Lords has said. In a letter to the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, the cross-party Lords Economic Affairs committee said the current benefits system penalises people [...]
Contactless train ticketing finally coming to London Stansted Airport January 20, 2025 The government has outlined its plans to roll-out contactless ticketing at nearly a hundred UK train stations in 2025, including London Stansted Airport, with a start date less than a fortnight away The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Monday some 47 stations across the South East would be able to use tap-in and tap-out [...]
FCA chair: Our growth push will test UK’s risk appetite January 20, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) push to slash red tape and unleash growth in the City will test the UK’s appetite for risk, its chair has warned, accepting that two of its new proposals could open the door to more fraud and mortgage defaults. Writing in Morning Wire today, Ashley Alder said the FCA will [...]
Starmer’s value for money office might be a waste of money, MPs warn January 20, 2025 Keir Starmer’s new value for money office might be a waste of money, an influential group of MPs have warned in a sceptical report. The newly-established Office for Value for Money (OVfM), which Labour pledged to set up ahead of the election, is supposed to improve government competitiveness and crackdown on waste. But concerns have [...]
Priti Patel: Labour should focus on negotiating with Trump instead of ‘disparaging comments’ January 19, 2025 Labour should focus on starting negotiations with Donald Trump, rather than making “disrespectful and disparaging comments”, shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel has said. She told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “I think we have to respect the fact that he has a very significant mandate. The American people voted clearly, categorically, [...]
Millionaires leave Britain in record numbers since Labour took power January 18, 2025 Millionaires have left Britain in record numbers since the new Labour government took power amid a crackdown on non-dom residents and sweeping tax hikes. The Treasury is facing fresh calls to reverse plans to abolish the non-dom tax status in April and replace it with a residence-based regime that also ropes in non-doms’ overseas assets [...]
‘Here for the long haul’: Reeves defends her position after market turmoil January 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted she is “here for the long haul” as she defended her position as Chancellor in the wake of bond market turmoil and rising government borrowing costs. The UK’s Chancellor has faced criticism for embarking on a trip to China last weekend while government borrowing costs surged and the value of the [...]
UK retail sales plunged in December as Budget fallout spread January 17, 2025 UK retail sales dropped during December, despite expectations of a Christmas bounce as consumers pulled back on spending. In a worrying sign for the economy, retail sales fell 0.3 per cent in December. Analysts had pencilled in growth of 0.4 per cent. November’s retail sales growth was also revised down by the Office for National [...]