Business investment falls as alarm bells rung on low productivity August 14, 2025 Business investment fell by four per cent in the second quarter of the year despite moderate growth of 0.3 per cent, official data has shown, as top economists are ringing alarm bells on low productivity levels across the UK economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there was a dramatic fall in investment compared [...]
The Debate: Should UK businesses follow Europe’s August shutdown tradition? July 30, 2025 The French (supposedly) do it, so why not us? We get two writers to weigh up the pros and cons of the August shutdown in this week's debate.
Switch off? Here’s the books to read to stay switched on this summer July 25, 2025 Hate to switch off? Fear not, How To Make A Billion book author Richard Harpin gives his holiday reading guide to stay switched on.
Enough with black-hole blaming, Reeves is ignoring low hanging fruit July 15, 2025 Raising taxes and plugging black holes, Reeves's discourse ignores proven (and easier) methods to boost productivity, says Paul Ormerod.
Tax hikes dragging investment to worst level since pandemic, CBI says June 18, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ dramatic tax hike on employment has helped push firms’ investment plans down to the worst level in five years, contributing to a downgrade in the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s latest economic outlook. The CBI now believe that the UK economy will only grow 1.2 per cent this year and slow down [...]
The productivity puzzle: Why Britain has plenty of capital but no capital spending June 17, 2025 Despite holding £1.9 trillion in financial wealth, the UK has failed to invest in its future, leaving a generation stuck with 20-year-old productivity and pay, say Andrew Allum and Jack Duckworth When Warren Buffett announced his retirement last month, he had created many billions, and many memorable quotes such as “Someone’s sitting in the shade [...]
Reeves to lay out 10-year infrastructure plan worth £725bn June 15, 2025 Chancellor Reeves is set to deliver a 10-year infrastructure strategy plan which will lay out efforts to boost growth and upgrade services across the UK. The new blueprint for UK infrastructure will come around a week after Reeves delivered the Spending Review, which marked out £190bn in extra government spending commitments for the years between [...]
UK firms turn to AI and automation as they struggle to find skilled workers June 4, 2025 Nearly three-quarters of British firms are struggling to find talented workers in fears that productivity levels are unlikely to rebound after a bumpy recovery from the pandemic, fresh research has found. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on firms to prioritise hiring British workers over sponsoring foreign nationals as part of his plans to boost [...]
The Debate: Should the UK have more bank holidays? May 28, 2025 With not another bank holiday until the end of August, are Brits in need of more time off? Two writers go head to head in this week's Debate.
From rare bees to miners’ pensions, money is now no object in parliament May 28, 2025 Miners' pensions, indigenous rights, the shrill carder bee - parliament and the public have lost touch with the reality of public spending.