Reeves considers tax breaks for startups in effort to preserve headroom October 13, 2025 Reports have suggested that Rachel Reeves is considering offering entrepreneurs new tax reliefs as she tries to stimulate growth in the economy and unlock productivity. As part of an effort to limit the damage to the current headroom of £9.9bn due to productivity downgrades by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), Reeves is reportedly discussing [...]
Badenoch seeks answers from Starmer on China spy case collapse October 13, 2025 Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer with questions regarding the collapse of the trial of alleged Chinese spies amid a deepening row over Labour’s handling of national security and trade relations with the world’s second largest economy. Badenoch has demanded Starmer come clean on national security adviser Jonathan Powell’s role [...]
Lloyds Bank shares edge up despite £800m motor finance hit October 13, 2025 Lloyds Banking Group has taken a swipe at the City watchdog after being forced to hike its provisions for the motor finance scandal to £2bn. The banking giant said the redress scheme was not proportional or reasonable in ensuring customers were rightly compensated and it did not reflect the “actual loss” of borrowers. It added [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Lloyds warns on ‘adverse’ outcome on motor finance October 13, 2025 Good morning from the Morning Wire liveblog team. As we edge close to the Budget, more and more businesses are growing agitated over how their industry might be affected. Nowhere were these concerns more stark than in retail, where the Co-op has warned that 60,000 small shops and 150,000 jobs could be lost without business [...]
Finance chiefs fear UK is falling behind as Labour growth push falls flat October 13, 2025 UK finance chiefs believe the country is falling behind rivals as costs are stacking up and squeezing profit margins, a new survey has shown, with further alarm bells ringing that businesses are losing faith in Labour’s drive for growth. The government has moved to curry favour with top investment bosses as Rachel Reeves met the [...]
Rachel Reeves urged to levy one-off wealth tax October 13, 2025 Researchers say Rachel Reeves should introduce a one-off wealth tax to avoid the “direct disincentive” of an annual levy. But the Chancellor risks wreaking havoc on the UK economy unless she breaks Labour manifesto commitments and introduces vast reforms to the wider tax system, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). [...]
Reeves ‘pressures business chiefs to talk up the UK economy’ October 11, 2025 Rachel Reeves has ramped up pressure on business leaders to “talk up” the economy in the run up to the Autumn Budget. The Chancellor has framed her rallying cry to businesses that if they do not support a positive narrative around the economy, they risk Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The Treasury has warned top [...]
Majority of Brits reject Labour’s ‘nanny state’ policies October 11, 2025 A majority of Brits reject ‘nanny state’ measures from Labour to control “unhealthy” lifestyle choices stating they have more trust in themselves than the government. Fresh polling from the Adam Smith Institute shows six in ten Brits do not support the government having much control over adults’ health and personal decisions. It comes after the [...]
Recession fears spike after Trump threatens new China tariffs October 11, 2025 President Donald Trump has said he will slap an additional 100 per cent tax on Chinese imports by 1 November or sooner spiking recession fears after global markets tumbled. Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump cited the export controls placed on rare earths by China as the reason for the fresh levy. The President [...]
Parliament must ‘challenge’ Labour’s handling of China spy case October 10, 2025 Parliament has to “challenge the government’s handling” of the collapsed case against two men accused of spying for China, a senior Tory has told Morning Wire. Speaking to Morning Wire, David Davis MP, stated the issue must go to Parliament, “given that the government has quite explicitly put commercial interest ahead of the security and integrity [...]