Labour’s AI ambitions will clash with its housebuilding targets September 18, 2025 It was all smiles on Tuesday as Chancellor Rachel Reeves became the latest PPE grad politician to don her PPE robes, in a visit to a construction site in Waltham Cross where she unveiled Google’s new data centre. The opening was a moment of celebration, as Google announced another £5bn investment into the UK, a [...]
Autumn budget and inflation worries drag down consumer confidence September 18, 2025 Consumer confidence slumped in September as concerns about the state of the UK economy and the possibility of higher taxes weighed on Brits’ minds. Expectations of the state of the overall economy worsened to -36 in September, down from -32 in August, according to the British Retail Consortium. Brits’ personal financial situations also slipped to [...]
Reeves considering ‘staggered stamp duty payments’ to boost housing market September 18, 2025 A proposal to spread stamp duty payments across several years, in an effort to drive growth and boost the housing market, is among changes to property tax being considered by the Treasury ahead of Budget discussions with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Suggested reforms to stamp duty would allow house buyers to pay the [...]
Britain is heading for a fiscal crisis September 18, 2025 Without immediate, credible action to rein in spending, contain debt and keep inflation under control, Britain will sleepwalk into disaster, says Gerard Lyons The UK is in danger of sleepwalking into economic torpor. The issues we face are real, sizeable but, crucially, solvable. However, solutions have too often been evaded through short-term fixes and political [...]
What the US tech investments tell us about the UK’s public markets September 18, 2025 There was some debate in the Morning Wire newsroom on Tuesday over which story should grace the front page yesterday. On the one hand, news of £30bn worth of tech investment offered the kind of optimism we’re always looking out for, but on the other hand news came that global fund managers were pulling out [...]
Why is the pharmaceutical industry turning its back on the UK? September 18, 2025 Since coming into power last year, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have consistently stressed the importance of the life science sector to the UK economy, viewing it as critical for growth. In its aim to boost the industry’s standing, Labour pledged to make the UK an attractive place for investment and innovation, and to increase [...]
UK investors flock back to developed markets as economic fears ease September 17, 2025 Retail investors are regaining confidence in the UK and US markets as they lose patience with emerging markets performance. Over a third of UK retail investors view the domestic market as able to offer the strongest long-term opportunities, according to the latest research from investment platform eToro. The US economy’s improving performance has also lured [...]
Labour warned Employment Rights Bill will damage jobs market September 17, 2025 Labour’s Employment Rights Bill must be changed immediately to prevent the UK’s jobs market crisis from worsening, top business groups have warned Peter Kyle in a last-ditch attempt to secure growth-focused changes. The government’s workers’ rights reforms have faced strong opposition from thousands of businesses across the UK, with bodies representing their interests claiming changes [...]
Industrial strategy vs journalism: The battle for UK university funding September 17, 2025 The future of journalism courses in UK higher education is under threat after the government confirmed plans to divert funding away from media and communications courses and towards subjects more directly tied to its industrial strategy. In May, ministers announced a £108m cut to the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) for 2025-26 – reducing the total [...]
Growing pension uncertainty sparks a downturn in retirement saving September 17, 2025 Growing uncertainty over the future of the state pension and a rise in unsecured debt has sparked a worrying downturn in saving for retirement, new research has found. According to the latest retirement survey from Interactive Investor, only 44 per cent of UK savers believe the state pension will still be in place when today’s [...]