London is back in business – listing revival shows the City’s spark is back October 8, 2025 London is back in business. We are witnessing confidence return to the City and optimism return to our capital markets as London is fast regaining its spark. The facts speak for themselves – in just the last few weeks, we’ve seen a wave of new listings that show optimism is returning to the London Stock [...]
Rare reprieve for Reeves as ONS says data error cuts borrowing by £3bn October 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been handed a rare reprieve ahead of the Budget after a data error reported by the UK’s statistics authority reduced expected public borrowing by £3bn. A mistake in the counting of value added tax receipts by tax collector HMRC was identified in an update by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Bank shares surge; Gold surpasses $4,000 October 8, 2025 Good morning from the Morning Wire live blog team. Arguably no sector has had as sensitive share movement in recent months as the banking industry. In August, following the motor finance ruling, City banks added £7bn in market value after a major boost from the Supreme Court. But less than a month later after the [...]
Reeves urged to increase alcohol taxes to tackle workplace drinking October 8, 2025 Pubs and restaurants up and down the country could be forced to serve up higher booze prices as Rachel Reeves has been urged to add fresh alcohol levies to her menu of tax rises at next month’s Budget. The Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-leaning think tank with close ties to the government, has [...]
Reeves must reject this finger-wagging, fun-sapping, tax-loving nonsense October 8, 2025 The Chancellor may have felt in need of a stiff drink after absorbing the latest productivity figures handed to her by the Office for Budget Responsibility, and who could blame her? The OBR is widely expected to have significantly downgraded its productivity forecasts while at the same time conceding that it’s been overestimating productivity growth [...]
Mel Stride: I would raise income tax in Rachel Reeves’ position October 7, 2025 Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said he would raise income taxes if he were in Rachel Reeves’ position, facing a £30bn black hole in the public finances. Speaking at a fringe event at the Tory party conference in Manchester, Stride said raising income taxes was the “cleanest” tax hike option available. His comments will likely [...]
Private asset funds predicted to surge over the next five years October 7, 2025 Private asset funds are expected to become a central force in driving the global economy over the next five years, after soaring to record highs in 2025. The value of private asset funds has surged 9.6 per cent this year to date, to a record $14.05 trillion (£10.46 trillion), a striking 77 per cent rise [...]
Tech and talent at risk as Reeves eyes tax hikes in November budget October 7, 2025 Britain’s tech sector is bracing for impact as fears grow that Labour’s upcoming Budget could drive investors, and their capital, out of the country. Brent Hoberman, co-founder of Lastminute.com and a prominent supporter of UK start-ups through Founders Forum and Firstminute Capital, warned that venture capital (VC) funds are actively considering relocation to Europe if [...]
Brits fear Rachel Reeves’ next Budget will make them worse off October 7, 2025 A majority of Britons believe Rachel Reeves’ next Budget will make them worse off while three in four have lost faith in the government’s growth mission, fresh polling reveals. The Labour government has made growing the UK economy its central mission in government in a bid to claw back support across the electorate. But the [...]
‘Disappointment’ and muted activity: Dealmakers sour on UK market October 7, 2025 UK dealmakers’ faith in the economy has slumped to its lowest in nine years with executives blaming a string of policy blunders and a sluggish deal environment for weighing on market activity. Over half of Britain’s private equity and corporate finance bosses feel negative about the next 18-24 months, according to a fresh poll of [...]