Business chiefs back Employment Rights Bill progression despite ‘concerns’ December 15, 2025 Business leaders have called on parliament to pass the Employment Rights Bill after it secured a compromise on day one rights for unfair dismissal. Six industry groups have written a joint letter to business secretary Peter Kyle stating their support for parliamentarians to pass the bill. The letter now puts pressure on crossbench peers and [...]
High earners see purchasing powers eroded after Budget measures December 15, 2025 High earner households could lose thousands in purchasing power over the next few years as a result of measures introduced in last month’s Autumn Budget. According to analysis of HM Treasury data, high earners not rich yet (HENRY) households will see an average reduction in their annual purchasing powers by over £15,000 by 2029, due [...]
Reform UK to offer bumper bonus to high-performing civil servants December 15, 2025 Nigel Farage’s Reform UK would offer bumper bonus payments to the best-performing civil servants delivering on government policy and objectives. In a shake-up of how Whitehall works, Reform UK’s Danny Kruger revealed the party would increase the bonus pool for performance-related pay by five times. The new budget would be aimed at retaining the “finest [...]
FCA to ‘rebalance’ risk in mortgage market in first time buyer boost December 15, 2025 The UK’s financial watchdog is planning a major overhaul of mortgage market rules in a bid to support more Brits getting on the housing ladder. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it aims to “rebalance risk” in the market to encourage innovation and allow a greater number of people to get access to finance. “Rebalancing [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Budget hits hiring market as economy feels pinch December 15, 2025 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. On Friday, the Labour government’s mission for economic growth proved to be not just sluggish but in free fall. The latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) dealt another blow to Rachel Reeves as new data showed production output shrank 0.5 per [...]
Armed forces chief to warn ‘whole nation must step up’ amid Russian threat December 15, 2025 Growing threats faced by the UK will require “our whole nation stepping up” to ensure the country can continue to function in a crisis, the head of the British armed forces will warn. Chief of the defence staff Sir Richard Knighton will say the situation is “more dangerous than I have known during my career” [...]
Labour must unite behind Starmer or risk losses to Reform, deputy leader says December 13, 2025 Labour must unite behind Keir Starmer or risk defeat by Reform UK at the local elections next year, Lucy Powell has warned. The deputy leader cautioned against “navel-gazing” or “throwing bricks from the sidelines” and said the party must come together to get its message across before next May. Her intervention comes after a difficult [...]
Bank of England poised to slash interest rates December 13, 2025 The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to their lowest level in nearly two years at a crunch decision next Thursday. Markets and leading economists have priced in a cut to Bank Rate to 3.75 per cent amid fears activity in the UK economy is stalling and the [...]
Billionaire Labour backer says ‘business unfriendly’ Budget hit growth December 12, 2025 A billionaire backer of the Labour party has said the government’s “business unfriendly” policies have hit economic growth following another bleak release of data. John Caudwell, the founder of Phones 4u, said Labour “really need to change the tune of what they’re doing” to kickstart growth and appeal to businesses. It follows the latest release [...]
‘We chose AIM over Nasdaq and Euronext’: Power Probe boss December 12, 2025 The boss of US toolmaker Power Probe said he felt the AIM market was the best international venue for the company after completing a London stock market float. In an interview with Morning Wire, Power Probe chief executive Chema Garcia said: “With 90 per cent of our revenue in the US, the first option was [...]