UK and US agree to zero tariff deal on pharmaceuticals December 1, 2025 The government has agreed to a major deal with Washington that will see the UK become the only country to secure zero import tariffs on pharmaceutical products into the US for at least three years. The deal follows months of negotiations between the government and the Trump administration, after the June trade deal left the [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Starmer denies Budget ‘misleading’ as Reeves on brink December 1, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. It was quite the Budget week to end November and for many more questions were created than answered. Whilst Labour might’ve hoped it would be be their rallying moment – with the lifting of the two-child benefit cap and doubling of the Chancellor’s fiscal buffer [...]
Markets responded positively to Budget, says Peel Hunt chief December 1, 2025 The boss of one of London’s best-known investment banks has shrugged off concerns over the Budget, suggesting that the tax-raising plans pleased financial markets. Peel Hunt CEO Steven Fine said markets viewed the state of the UK’s finances as “quite stable” following the Budget, pointing to a rise in the government’s fiscal headroom which helped [...]
Blockbuster FTSE merger abandoned after shareholder fury December 1, 2025 A plan to merge two FTSE-listed funds to form the UK’s largest infrastructure investment firm has been abandoned after shareholders expressed frustration with the terms of the deal. HICL Infrastructure said it will no longer be proceeding with its planned merger with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) after its board “determined that it cannot progress [...]
Essensys founder explores takeover as company woes continue November 28, 2025 Essensys founder Mark Furness is exploring a potential takeover of the company, as it continues to run into financial challenges. Furness, who founded the software and technology company in 2006, has submitted a preliminary proposal to fully acquire the company, which would bring it back into private ownership just six years after completing its London [...]
British founders dodged an exit tax – and bagged a few wins instead November 27, 2025 Startup founders went into this week’s Budget in a state of quasi-panic. Rumours of a so-called ‘exit tax’ on wealthy individuals, fuelled by weeks of speculation, sparked fears that Britain was about to hurt its own ecosystem. Far from taxing entrepreneurs on the way out, Rachel Reeves used her second Autumn Budget statement to shower [...]
How will the Budget impact your personal finances? November 27, 2025 It’s the day after Rachel Reeves’ crunch Budget, and while the Office of Budget Responsibility leak may be the main talking point, after months of speculation we finally know how personal finances will be impacted. As expected, Reeves extended income tax freezes and introduced a range of smaller taxes, in moves that are expected to [...]
Banks keep up their end of Rachel Reeves’ tax bargain November 27, 2025 The banking industry has given Rachel Reeves some much-needed ammunition as she attempts to defend her tax-heavy Autumn Budget. After being spared from a highly-anticipated cash grab, a fleet of banks announced a fresh pump of capital in the UK economy. Britain’s largest retail bank Lloyds Banking Group unveiled £35bn of new finance for 2026 [...]
UK markets need radical reform, not the Chancellor’s endless tweaks November 27, 2025 ISA reform and stamp duty relief are sticking plasters for a stock market that needs major surgery, writes Tim Focas.
Relief for Cirata after FCA closes investigation November 27, 2025 Cirata execs have breathed a sigh of relief after the financial regulator closed a two-year investigation into the software firm, drawing a line under the dramatic events that caused the firm’s stock to plummet. In March 2023, Cirata – or Wandisco, as it was then known – revealed it had massively overstated its sales figures, [...]