HSBC: City market’s top firm turns to Asia and Middle East September 22, 2025 HSBC is setting its sights on Asia and the Middle East for further growth prospects after wielding the axe at parts of its European operations. A top boss at Britain’s most valuable bank – and top FTSE100 company by market cap – said both regions have “an enormous amount of capital” which was a significant [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax raids drag UK to world’s worst hiring slump September 9, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax raids on employers have continued to harm the economy with fresh figures showing the UK had the worst hiring slump across the globe. The UK suffered the biggest global drop in year-on-year planned hiring, contracting 17 percentage points. Singapore, Hungary and Finland, which followed, all contracted nine per cent, according to [...]
The real villain in the Angela Rayner saga: stamp duty September 4, 2025 Labour has launched a patronising defence of Angela Rayner for her “working class” background. They should be gunning for a different target: the insidious tax that’s caused her so much trouble, says Alys Denby Being working class is, if you’re to believe the Labour front bench, a reasonable excuse for tax avoidance. Keir Starmer stood [...]
Rachel Reeves told ‘copy Margaret Thatcher’ with bank tax raid August 29, 2025 Britain’s banking titans are back in the hot seat as Rachel Reeves faces renewed calls to hike taxes on lenders. The self-described “iron Chancellor” has been advised to take a leaf out of Margaret Thatcher’s book with a fresh levy on banks that would hand the Treasury up to £8bn a year. The levy – [...]
AIM turns 30: Delistings, doubt and a dose of optimism June 19, 2025 AIM turns 30 today, but birthday celebrations are bound to be overshadowed by swathes of bleak data on the market’s performance. London’s junior stock market has had a woeful period, with projections indicating the index will shrink by a fifth as a result of delisting plans. The number of companies listed on the City’s Alternative [...]
Do British and Irish Lions rugby stars risk double tax on £100,000 fee? May 17, 2025 With the stars of the British and Irish Lions touring rugby team getting a wage, how do they avoid being taxed twice? In today’s global sporting landscape, with athletes and teams constantly moving across borders, the tax implications of international competition are both significant and complex. Whether it’s the British and Irish Lions touring Australia [...]
Umbrella Union to be wound up after HMRC tax avoidance accusation May 16, 2025 A Liverpool-based contracting company accused of promoting tax avoidance is to be wound up after appointing liquidators, Morning Wire can reveal. The firm, called, Umbrella Union, described itself as an “umbrella contracting company” which “can help you comply with financial regulations whilst remaining self employed.” In October last year, HMRC added the company to its [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Reeves clamping down on tax evasion March 26, 2025 The Chancellor plans to raise over £1bn in additional gross tax revenue, as her Spring Statement singled out tax evaders
Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton banned after failing to pay £1m tax bill March 24, 2025 Former SAS: Who Dares Wins chief instructor Ant Middleton has been banned from being a director of a company after his business failed to pay more than £1m in tax. The television personality was the director of Sway and Starting Limited along with his wife, Emilie Middleton. The business, which was described as offering media [...]
HMRC probes into serious tax fraud and avoidance fall to lowest level in six years November 10, 2024 A number of tax experts told the FT staff retention and poor resourcing within HMRC was to blame for the drop off.