Leading economist slams ‘myth’ that landlords are under-taxed October 15, 2025 Tax hikes for landlords will be damaging to the economy and are based on a lack of understanding about investors, according to a leading economist. Paul Johnson, the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said that the UK “need[s] to think very carefully about how to tax housing and how to tax rental [...]
Starmer attempts to defuse China spy fiasco as tempers flare October 15, 2025 Keir Starmer is looking to defuse a fiasco surrounding the collapse of an alleged Chinese spy case in parliament in the face of ongoing questions over whether national security advisers discussed the details of the case in private meetings. Starmer told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that the government would release witness statements [...]
Starmer’s business adviser is ‘frontrunner’ to be US ambassador October 15, 2025 Keir Starmer’s business adviser is a frontrunner to replace Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US, according to reports. Varun Chandra, a former venture capital executive who has had to curry favour with business leaders and investors in a difficult year for the UK economy, is being considered for the important diplomatic role [...]
Rachel Reeves: We are looking at tax hikes October 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has revealed the government is considering making tax hikes at this year’s Budget, the first time she has made the admission in public. In an interview with Sky News, Reeves admitted that the government was considering raising tax and cutting spending to fill a fiscal hole. The Chancellor said she would “always [...]
Scotch Whisky Association calls for spirits duty freeze as industry headwinds grow October 15, 2025 The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has urged the UK Government to impose a multi-year freeze on spirits duty, warning that continued inaction threatens jobs, investment and Treasury revenues. In a submission ahead of the autumn Budget, the trade body stated that recent duty increases had cost the Treasury £700m while placing a £12 tax burden [...]
Reeves to limit legal challenges to key infrastructure projects October 15, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has ordered courts to open hearings on judicial review processes which could threaten to block critical infrastructure projects within four months of an application being made as part of a pre-Budget rush to introduce growth-inducing reforms. As part of a new set of planning-related proposals on Wednesday, the High Court will have [...]
Self-inflicted damage makes mockery of government growth pledge October 15, 2025 Back in June, before Donald Trump orchestrated a tentative peace in the Middle East, he reacted with fury to Israel and Iran’s escalating exchange of missile and drone attacks, telling reporters “they don’t know what the f**k they’re doing.” Sometimes undiplomatic language has its place, even in high-stakes diplomacy. I was reminded of this approach [...]
IMF downgrades UK growth and warns inflation will be highest in G7 October 14, 2025 Inflation in the UK is set to surge above all G7 countries in the next two years while growth per capita will lag behind the average across advanced economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted. In its World Economic Outlook report, the IMF has said that inflation in the UK will remain higher than [...]
UK economy set for marginal August growth October 14, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have marginally grown in August after a sharp slowdown in activity in the second half of the year. A Bloomberg poll of economists suggests the UK economy is expected to grow by just 0.1 per cent over the one-month period, with a contraction of 0.2 per cent in the [...]
State pension set to rise by more than expected in blow to Reeves October 14, 2025 The state pension is set to rise by more than previously expected after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revised up its figures on wage growth for July, piling extra costs on public finances for Chancellor Rachel Reeves at this year’s Budget. The ONS revised up its wage growth figure for July from 4.7 per [...]