Reeves will have to get real and raise taxes March 25, 2025 Despite frantic denials, the debt burden means Rachel Reeves will soon have to revisit promises she made on tax in the care-free days of opposition, says Vince Cable The Chancellor has many competing priorities on Wednesday: a big rise in defence spending; keeping the NHS afloat; honouring promises not to raise taxes on income and [...]
Rachel Reeves takes leaf out of gardening manual– but don’t expect flowery days to come March 24, 2025 Gardening is typically something career politicians only enjoy once they have retired. But Rachel Reeves appears to be paying homage to the green-fingered guru Alan Titchmarsh in the lead-up to her Spring Statement to be delivered this Wednesday. In one video viewed 111,000 times on Youtube, Titchmarsh offers a tutorial on how to get “free [...]
Small businesses at ‘breaking point’ ahead of Spring Statement March 24, 2025 Small businesses are at “breaking point” just days ahead of Rachel Reeves‘ Spring Statement, an insurance boss has warned. Almost one in five small business owners have said they will be forced out of business within a year due to bleak economic conditions, according to data from Simply Business. As many fear the increasing costs [...]
Reeves told to use Spring Statement to fix ‘unintended consequences’ of Budget March 24, 2025 Rachel Reeves must use the Spring Statement to fix the “unintended consequences” of her Autumn Budget, the boss of a tax services firm has said. Tom Shave, President of the Europe and Asia-Pacific division at Ryan, has urged the Chancellor to use Wednesday’s update to provide businesses under economic pressure necessary support. Shave anticipated Reeves’ [...]
Spring Statement won’t ‘alter basics’, Starmer insists, amid tax cuts reports March 24, 2025 The Spring Statement this week will not “alter the basics” of public spending plans, Sir Keir Starmer has insisted.
Mid-sized firms will add two million jobs to UK economy by 2028, BDO says March 24, 2025 Mid-sized businesses could add £745bn to the UK economy in the next three years, according to new research by the financial services firm BDO. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out her ambitions to deliver growth “further and faster”, but her plans have come under fire as the Office for Budget Responsibility looks set to halve [...]
Add growth to Bank of England’s remit, Treasury told March 24, 2025 The Treasury has been urged to change the Bank of England’s remit to include growth after a new paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said a focus on nominal GDP would lead to “more stable” policymaking. The Bank is mandated to hit an inflation target of two per cent and sets interest rates [...]
London businesses dismiss Chancellor’s growth hopes March 24, 2025 Firms across London think the government will fall flat on its ambition to grow the UK economy, a new survey has shown. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out to woo businesses in Canada over the last few years. But around nine in ten businesses across the capital doubt the government can achieve growth, [...]
Mixed bag of PMI data as services grow but manufacturing slumps March 24, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has received mixed signals about the state of the UK economy ahead of her Spring Statement as S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) pointed to an upturn in services while manufacturing declined again. The Spring Statement will be delivered on Wednesday as global trade war tensions escalate and worries over incoming tax [...]
Financial watchdog to push savers to take more risk March 24, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to encourage retail investors to up their level of risk when managing their savings, as part of its mandate to support growth in the UK economy. The watchdog has drawn up the plans as part of a new five-year strategy that is set to launch later this week, [...]