Rachel Reeves may have to ‘revisit’ manifesto tax pledges to meet fiscal rules, economists warn June 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves may have to tear up Labour’s manifesto tax commitments to meet her tight fiscal rules, economists have warned, as the Chancellor battles to balance the books amid calls for higher spending on defence and welfare. A suite of new day-to-day spending commitments made by the Treasury in recent weeks, including reversing cuts to [...]
Tory immigration policy: Kemi Badenoch unveils review into leaving ECHR June 6, 2025 Kemi Badenoch has used a major speech on immigration to announce a review into the UK leaving the European Court of Human Rights. In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Westminster, the Conservative leader announced a “lawfare commission” whilst slamming “a legal culture that’s become more interested in political activism than [...]
Reform lost their businessman – what does this mean for the party? June 6, 2025 Barely a week ago, Zia Yusuf was hosting journalists in the City, trying to sell them on Reform’s crypto plan. But things quickly went awry for the Reform party chairman. On Wednesday, Yusuf publicly contradicted Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s call in Parliament for a burqa ban. On Thursday, he resigned. The chairman announced he was [...]
‘A tax burden without precedent in the 21st Century’: Pub chain McMullen’s blasts government tax hikes June 6, 2025 One of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at the government’s “damaging” tax hikes, warning they will lead to lower demand and investment and have forced the hospitality sector to “bear the brunt” of rises in government spending. Hertford-based McMullen’s, which operates around 120 pubs in London and the home counties, including the Old [...]
Wise’s London listing snub shows the need for urgent City reform June 6, 2025 The loss of the primary listing of the fin tech Wise from London is another body blow to those seeking to reboot its fortunes as the international market where the best ideas find the best capital, writes shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith. Coming on the eve of London Tech Week it’s a real downer and [...]
Is the government right to ban water company bonuses? June 6, 2025 It is safe to say the water industry is not in the government’s good books. Decades of underinvestment and mounting debt have led to a sewage spill crisis, sparking immense public outrage. Thames Water, the UK’s largest water supplier, has come to symbolise the sector’s woes as it teeters on the brink of administration. US [...]
The high-profile non-doms that have quit Britain since the Budget June 6, 2025 If the pleas of wealth advisers and tax lawyers are to be believed, since the Chancellor’s Autumn fiscal crackdown, non-doms have been leaving Britain in droves. We’ve listed the most high-profile departures since the Budget. Having made it almost exactly halfway through her maiden Budget, the UK’s first female Chancellor was beginning to find her [...]
Labour exploring plans for ‘Britcard’ digital ID to curb illegal migration June 6, 2025 Labour is exploring a new national, universal digital ID card for every adult in the UK to tackle illegal migration. The ID is being tentatively branded as ‘Britcard’, and could be downloaded onto a smartphone in the shape of a “free verifier app”. Plans for the digital ID were laid out in detail by the [...]
Seven in 10 bosses think workers’ rights bill will dent growth June 6, 2025 Over seven in 10 bosses believe the government’s flagship workers’ rights overhaul will kibosh efforts to kickstart economic growth and lead to fewer new hires and more outsourcing of work abroad, fresh research has shown. According to a poll by the Institute of Directors (IoD), 72 per cent of business leaders in Britain believe that, [...]
Labour’s not for turning but the Inheritance Tax battle will rumble on June 5, 2025 Civil servants and politicians could not believe their eyes. As the hoarse grumble of diesel motors thundered along Whitehall, a fleet of tractors descended onto Parliament Square, heralded by a cacophony of honks to the tune of Aqua’s Barbie Girl. Beginning in November, farmers marched to Westminster to protest the government’s inheritance tax (IHT) reforms. [...]