Labour’s growth gamble will decide Britain’s future December 18, 2024 Labour’s plan to invest for growth is Keynesianism 101. Delivering on it will require discipline and competence — recent history gives us plenty of reasons to be sceptical, says Damian Pudner Britain’s economic fortunes have hit a moment of reckoning. Public debt has ballooned to an eye-watering £2.8 trillion, roughly 100 per cent of GDP. [...]
Reeves’ pension review pause could be ‘hugely detrimental’ December 16, 2024 Experts have slammed the chancellor’s decision to pause a review into pensions, saying failure to act could “leave millions of people at greater risk of an income shortfall”. Rachel Reeves has reportedly shelved plans to reform pension adequacy in a bid to avoid piling more pressure on business. The Financial Times first reported that it [...]
‘Hammer blow’: Family firms call for inheritance tax consultation December 16, 2024 Family businesses are urging the government to consult on changes to inheritance tax (IHT), warning the move represents a “hammer blow” to the UK economy. Some 160,000 family-owned firms – represented by 32 trade associations – have written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to request a formal consultation on IHT changes in the Budget. The letter, [...]
Growth is easier to destroy than to build December 16, 2024 Missions, milestones, foundations and pledges; Keir Starmer has unveiled them all since winning the election in July, but no amount of visionary rhetoric can compel an economy to grow. Since Labour’s election victory the British economy has whimpered to a halt. GDP flatlined in July and achieved a barely perceptible nudge up in August before contracting [...]
UK economy ‘at risk of stagflation’ as growth stalls under Labour December 13, 2024 Latest official GDP figures show the UK economy has stopped expanding since Labour took power, creating a headache for Keir Starmer after putting growth at the centre of his government’s mission. The economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 per cent in October, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. It missed economists’ expectations [...]
Cabinet Office to make hundreds of Civil Service redundancies December 12, 2024 Hundreds of jobs are set to be cut by the Cabinet Office, it has been confirmed, in a move which the government department said will create a “smaller, clearer structure”. A total of 400 jobs have been placed at risk at the department which is responsible for a range of functions across government. The Cabinet [...]
Currys reports £32m Budget tax hit December 12, 2024 Consumer electronics retailer Currys has become the latest company to warn about the impact of Labour’s tax raid on its bottom line. In its half-year results for the six months to 26 October 2024, published this morning, management said the estimated cost of recent tax policy changes could amount to as much as £32m. The [...]
2025 will be a year of green shoots for the City December 12, 2024 Changing mood music should gradually shift sentiment in London’s favour – and with the fire power of pension funds 2025 could be a better year than the City has seen in a while, says Steven Fine In New York, investors are in bullish form. I met one very well-known player recently who nearly knocked me [...]
Labour’s tax bombshell for high streets December 11, 2024 The government is rushing through business rates reforms for private schools without considering the wider implications for sectors we all rely on, says John Webber Twelve months ago, the Labour Party was still talking about scrapping business rates if it got into power. Whether that was a genuine plan or whether the £22m blackhole discovered [...]
Labour’s business backers – where are they now? December 10, 2024 Labour won the public backing of over 120 business chiefs in a letter before the election – but the enthusiasm of those executives appears to have dimmed since then. Morning Wire tried to track them down. It was a letter that seemed to signal a tectonic shift in British politics when it landed in newspapers [...]