EU firms should move plants to UK to avoid tariff ‘flare ups’ May 27, 2025 European companies should urgently ramp up manufacturing capacity in Britain to avoid the worst effects of Donald Trump’s tariff regime, a top accountancy firm has said. According to Alex Altmann, head of the German desk at Lubbock Fine, the 10 per cent US import tariff agreed as part of newly inked UK-US trade pact has [...]
IMF upgrades UK growth forecasts despite tariff turmoil May 27, 2025 The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecast for UK economic growth this year, despite warning that turmoil around US tariffs will stymie performance. The global body upgraded GDP growth predictions for the UK in 2025 to 1.2 per cent, up from the 1.1 per cent it had forecast last month. However, economists at the [...]
FTSE 100 nears record high but Trump threat lingers May 27, 2025 The FTSE 100’s latest rally has put it inches away from sealing an all-time high but another tariff twist from the White House threatens the record. The UK’s flagship index was up one per cent to around 8,800p during midday trading on Tuesday as it reversed Friday’s losses made after Trump threatened the European Union [...]
Relentless surge in government debt is unsustainable says BIS May 27, 2025 Policymakers across the world need to get a grip on the relentless surge in public government debt, a leading economist has warned. Agustin Carstens, general manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said fiscal authorities have a “narrow window” to put their house in order “before the public’s trust in their commitments starts to [...]
Farage unveils Reform UK’s new economic policies May 27, 2025 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has unveiled a tranche of policies aimed at increasing birth rates in the UK, cutting down on government spending, and reinstating welfare policies as he seeks to capitalise on the party’s popularity. The new policies are part of a wider push from the party to present themselves as “the party [...]
Is Natwest set for a deal spree after privatisation? May 27, 2025 As Natwest finally breaks from the shackles of government ownership, the banking juggernaut may be gearing up for an acquisition spree. The FTSE 100 giant is speculated to return to privatisation in a matter of days after the government accelerated its sell off over the last year. Shares in the firm rose one per cent [...]
North Sea windfall tax causing ‘irreversible damage’ says oil giant May 27, 2025 The boss of Enquest has slammed the windfall tax on oil and gas firms as doing “irreversible damage” to the industry and “driving job losses across the sector”. Amjad Bseisu, Enquest’s chief executive, called for the North Sea tax to be scrapped in an operations update on Tuesday after claiming it makes the UK a [...]
UK nightlife economy under pressure as venues struggle May 27, 2025 The UK’s nightlife industry, once a powerful driver of urban business, faces mounting pressures as shifting consumer habits, economic headwinds and regulatory challenges tighten the squeeze on late-night operators. Phil Urban, chief executive of one of the UK’s largest pub and bar chains, Mitchells & Butlers, has warned that the late-night segment is “the toughest [...]
Britain’s start-ups reeling from economic pressure May 27, 2025 Start-up businesses are feeling the sting of an uncertain economic landscape as fresh research shows new firms are employing fewer staff than ever before. The average number of staff for a new firm had slumped to 2.64, down from 3.5 in 2017 according to Cynergy Bank’s latest Business Births and Deaths Index. The research, which [...]
Starmer plays a risky game on welfare reform May 27, 2025 Rightly or wrongly, Labour decided that the first signal they should send as a new government was that they wouldn’t duck tough economic decisions. The cut to the winter fuel allowance was offered up as the ultimate proof of their seriousness; politically difficult but, we were told, financially necessary. A direct line was drawn between [...]