Reeves considering ‘staggered stamp duty payments’ to boost housing market September 18, 2025 A proposal to spread stamp duty payments across several years, in an effort to drive growth and boost the housing market, is among changes to property tax being considered by the Treasury ahead of Budget discussions with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Suggested reforms to stamp duty would allow house buyers to pay the [...]
Britain is heading for a fiscal crisis September 18, 2025 Without immediate, credible action to rein in spending, contain debt and keep inflation under control, Britain will sleepwalk into disaster, says Gerard Lyons The UK is in danger of sleepwalking into economic torpor. The issues we face are real, sizeable but, crucially, solvable. However, solutions have too often been evaded through short-term fixes and political [...]
UK investors flock back to developed markets as economic fears ease September 17, 2025 Retail investors are regaining confidence in the UK and US markets as they lose patience with emerging markets performance. Over a third of UK retail investors view the domestic market as able to offer the strongest long-term opportunities, according to the latest research from investment platform eToro. The US economy’s improving performance has also lured [...]
Labour warned Employment Rights Bill will damage jobs market September 17, 2025 Labour’s Employment Rights Bill must be changed immediately to prevent the UK’s jobs market crisis from worsening, top business groups have warned Peter Kyle in a last-ditch attempt to secure growth-focused changes. The government’s workers’ rights reforms have faced strong opposition from thousands of businesses across the UK, with bodies representing their interests claiming changes [...]
Knives are out in Whitehall after Chinese espionage case collapsed September 17, 2025 Whitehall is seething with anger following the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) decision to drop its espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Christopher Cash (30), a former parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry (33), a former English teacher in China, were charged last year with providing [...]
Inflation: Brits ‘paying the price for years of poor economic management’ September 17, 2025 Inflation hit 3.8 per cent in the year to August, according to official data, sending a warning to Bank of England officials ahead of a crucial interest rate vote on Thursday. The previous reading for inflation in July was 3.8 per cent, with the August figure likely to confirm Bank of England rate-setters will vote [...]
Employers are barely an afterthought for Labour September 17, 2025 The economy is flatlining. Unemployment is rising. Investors are fleeing our shores. At times like these, businesses needs support. But instead of a shot in the arm, they get a series of knives in the back. One of Labour’s first acts after coming to power was to hike Employer National Insurance Contributions. And now the employers [...]
Tech investment provides Starmer with some light relief September 17, 2025 The Special Relationship will be on display this week, but it will also be tested. On a commercial level, things are rumbling along rather nicely; £30bn of US investment into the UK’s AI infrastructure is nothing to sniff at. Donald Trump’s state visit comes with its own political baggage, on which more in a moment, [...]
‘Exhausting’ house buying process damaging the economy, says Santander September 17, 2025 The UK’s outdated house buying process and rate of failed transactions are costing the economy at least £1.5bn a year, one of Britain’s biggest high street banks has warned. According to a report from Santander UK, over half a million failed housing transactions are costing consumers £560m directly, with some costs, including the costs of [...]