Crisis, debt and a £46bn bailout: Inside Natwest’s return to private ownership April 24, 2025 Natwest is set to end one of British banking’s longest running sagas, as the lender stands inches away from returning to private ownership for the first time in nearly two decades. The FTSE 100 giant has whittled the UK government’s share in the bank to under three per cent, with a full exit expected in [...]
US trade talks: Rachel Reeves insists UK won’t be ‘relaxing’ food standards April 23, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted the UK won’t be “relaxing” its food standards in a bid to secure a trade deal with the US. The Chancellor, who is in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings, spoke ahead of her expected talks with US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Asked whether the UK government [...]
Ex-City minister calls for ‘urgent No10 summit’ with bosses and watchdogs April 23, 2025 A former City minister has called on the Prime Minister to convene an “urgent No10 summit” with Canada and financial watchdogs in a bid to boost capital markets. During Prime Ministers’ Questions (PMQs), the Conservative MP John Glen asked Sir Keir Starmer to take the step to “steward our pension assets”. Glen, [...]
Reeves’ taxes hammer private sector as one of ‘lowest ever’ PMIs recorded April 23, 2025 Private sector output fell in April for the first time in a year and a half as firms reported “more of a struggle” to survive after Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax rises kicked in, S&P Global’s flagship survey has suggested. Businesses had been preparing for Reeves’ £20bn hike to employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) for the [...]
Tax hikes would ‘take strain’ as headroom shrinks April 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely announce a raft of tax increases to “take the strain” of higher public spending in areas including defence and health, leading economists have warned. The last Autumn Budget saw a historic rise of £40bn in taxes as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the fiscal watchdog, said the tax burden [...]
Government borrowing in March dwarfs expectations April 23, 2025 Government borrowing overshot expectations as it hit £16.4bn in March, official data has revealed. Ballooning levels of borrowing will likely come as a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who is under pressure to keep public finances in balance. Reeves left herself £9.9bn at last month’s Spring Statement as she made around £14bn of cuts, mainly [...]
If the ONS can’t measure productivity, how are we meant to improve it? April 23, 2025 The ONS's shortcomings are far from trivial, its bad maths is holding back the UK economy, writes Paul Ormerod.
Reeves pledges to defend UK interests ahead of IMF meetings in Washington April 22, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to “defend Britain’s interests” as she prepares to meet fellow finance ministers in Washington and push for a US trade deal. Reeves will spend three days in the US capital for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s spring meetings of finance ministers and business leaders from across the G7 and G20. [...]
IMF slashes UK growth forecast as tariffs create ‘significant slowdown’ April 22, 2025 The IMF has downgraded its UK growth forecast by 0.5 per cent this year as President Donald Trump’s trade war brings global tariff rates to “centennial highs”. The IMF said the UK economy would grow by 1.1 per cent growth this year, reflecting leading forecasters’ worries about the ongoing global trade war between US and [...]
Reeves’ tax rise to push up inflation, BoE’s Megan Greene warns April 22, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ national insurance tax rise will push up inflation and lead to a “shake-up” of the labour market, Bank of England rate-setter Megan Greene has warned. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Greene said she was particularly concerned about “weakness in output” for the best part of a year as she suggested Reeves’ tax [...]