Nationwide hands customers billions as FTSE 100 banks up shareholder payouts May 30, 2025 Nationwide returned billions to customers in 2024 whilst the FTSE 100 banking juggernauts used excess capital to up payouts for shareholders. The building society handed customers £2.8bn in the last year through a combination of reward schemes that offered better rates on savings and loans. Meanwhile, listed banks used their extra cash to give big [...]
50,000 civil service jobs could be cut in Labour spending review May 29, 2025 Civil servants are facing another round of job cuts, with as many as 50,000 civil service jobs on the line in the government’s upcoming spending review. According to reports, ten per cent of civil servants, who number 500,000 in total, will be culled. The civil service swelled after Brexit and the pandemic, with 130,000 added [...]
Barclays and HSBC shares jump after Trump’s legal blow May 29, 2025 Shares in FTSE 100 banking giants rallied on Thursday after President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda was dealt a blow from the courts. Barclays and HSBC climbed over one per cent to 328.05p and 874.50p, while Standard Chartered jumped nearly two per cent to 1,158.00p. This came as the US Court of International Trade declared Trump’s [...]
Nationwide posts bumper year after stamp duty rush May 29, 2025 Nationwide Building Society bolstered its takings in the 12 months to March 31 2025, after a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline led to a surge in first-time buyers. The firm said it served more first-time buyers than any other lender in the UK, with 120,000 purchasing their first home. This was a significant leap from [...]
Rachel Reeves to set ‘binding’ pensions allocations in megafunds launch May 29, 2025 Rachel Reeves has confirmed plans to set “binding” allocations in pension funds as the government prepares for the launch of “megafunds” to encourage fresh investment into UK infrastructure and businesses. The Treasury said it would “take a reserve power” in the upcoming Pension Schemes Bill “to set binding asset allocation targets,” a move it said [...]
Which taxes could Rachel Reeves raise in the Autumn Budget May 29, 2025 Rising borrowing costs, u-turns on spending cuts and a wafer-thin fiscal headroom all point to one thing: Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to put up taxes later in the year. But given Labour’s manifesto commitment to avoid tax rises on “working people”, and the pain felt by businesses over National Insurance hikes, many are [...]
Reeves’ tax raids crush business confidence – but worst is yet to come May 29, 2025 Business confidence plummeted in the three months to May as Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes took hold and firms have warned more pain is to come. Consumer services’ optimism marked its eight consecutive month of decline at -42 per cent, whilst levels of business value plunged to -56 per cent. This was down from -44 per [...]
Gen Z investors reliant on LinkedIn and TikTok finfluencers for advice May 28, 2025 Gen Z has led the charge in a growing trend of using social media for investment advice, according to new data from Charles Schwab. Over 70 per cent of Gen Z use social media and financial influencers – dubbed finfluencers – when making investment decisions, the data suggests. LinkedIn was valued as the top social [...]
Government slashes red tape to tackle housing crisis May 28, 2025 The government will slash red tape to get more construction by smaller building firms off the ground, and to “get working people on the housing ladder,” Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said as Labour looks to promote its pro-business credentials. A relaxation of environmental protections is expected, including Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements which [...]
Businesses rethink legal strategy as costs of lawyers surge May 28, 2025 Increasing amount of legal work will be handled by in-house law teams rather than law firms as businesses face cost pressures