‘Open for business’: Ministers head to Gulf states in bid to boost UK trade links September 16, 2024 Senior ministers are heading to the Gulf states for talks on boosting the UK’s economy via expanding trade links with the region and attracting international investment. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and trade minister Douglas Alexander are flying to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on their first joint international visit since the election, with Alexander then set to [...]
UK will become less attractive for firms if workers’ rights reforms are passed, CBI survey finds September 15, 2024 The UK is likely to become a less attractive place to do business in the coming years if Labour’s workers’ rights reforms are implemented in their current form, a new survey has suggested. Some 62 per cent of respondents to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey and recruiters Pertemps said they [...]
Next: Analysts look for potential sales forecast upgrade in upcoming results September 15, 2024 Next could upgrade its forecast for full-year sales next week as the retailer looks to capitalise on new business overseas. The clothing retailer reports its interim results on Thursday amid a backdrop of 28 per cent growth in its share price so far this year. Next reported a 4.4 per cent rise in sales in [...]
Government must ‘offer hope’ to attract investment, CBI chief to argue September 12, 2024 The government must “have and offer hope” in order to attract global investors to bet on and back Britain, the chief executive of the Confederation for British Industry (CBI) will argue. In a rejection of No10 and the Treasury’s gloomy economic language, Rain Newton-Smith will use the CBI’s annual dinner in Glasgow to call for [...]
Scotch Whisky sector demands support amid export slump September 12, 2024 The Scotch Whisky Association has called on the government to provide additional support to the industry following a slump in exports. The Scotch Whisky industry is a major contributor to the UK economy. The Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) states that the industry is worth £7.1bn annually and supports 66,000 jobs across the UK, mainly in [...]
Major NHS reforms will ‘take a decade’, Keir Starmer warns September 12, 2024 A series of major reforms to the NHS will “take a decade” and won’t be “universally popular”, Sir Keir Starmer has warned in a speech about the future of the UK’s healthcare system. The Prime Minister pledged that his Labour government “will always make the investment in our NHS that is needed… even in difficult [...]
‘Hard to justify’: IFS calls for Reeves to limit pension tax-free lump sum September 11, 2024 Rachel Reeves is rumoured to be considering a shake-up of pension tax reliefs in the October Budget as she seeks to address a challenging fiscal inheritance.
UK agrees £500m funding deal with Tata Steel September 11, 2024 The government will invest £500m into Tata Steel’s UK operations alongside an “improved deal” for workers to support the transition to greener steel production, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed today. Workers at the country’s biggest steel plant in Port Talbot, south Wales, will receive “improved” redundancy terms and the offer of a skills package, he [...]
Economists are not concerned by the lastest GDP figures. They should be September 11, 2024 The growth party was always going to end sooner or later. In the first half of 2024, the economy exceeded expectations month after month, making the UK the fastest-growing economy in the G7. One statistician at the ONS even said the economy was growing “gangbusters“. Alas, nothing lasts forever. Figures out this morning showed that the [...]
GDP unexpectedly stagnates in July following strong first half of 2024 September 11, 2024 The figures returned the UK to growth after GDP was flat in June and represent a positive start to the second half of the year.