Keir Starmer urged to slash number of graduate visas July 2, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been urged to scrap the graduate visa for thousands of international students as universities have provided “backdoor access” for longer-term settlement, according to a leading think tank. The government unveiled its immigration white paper aimed at getting net migration levels down, with the period during which graduates are able to [...]
National Wealth Fund boss calls for public finance consolidation July 1, 2025 The boss of Labour’s National Wealth Fund has urged the government to remain open to consolidation of public finance institutions in a bid to ease confusion for the private sector. In a hearing on Tuesday, the chief executive of the National Wealth Fund (NWF) John Flint told MPs he would “encourage” the Treasury “not to [...]
Manufacturers fear Labour government will ‘derail growth’ July 1, 2025 Manufacturers continued to see output decline in June, fresh data has shown, as most business owners are now looking at how they can grow under the Labour government. The UK government last week unveiled its industrial strategy aimed at giving high-growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing confidence over the next ten years. But fresh research [...]
Andrew Bailey warns investment delays hitting UK growth July 1, 2025 Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has warned firms are delaying investment plans due to global turmoil, damaging the UK’s economic growth prospects. Markets have restabilised since April when President Trump’s sweeping tariffs threatened to damage international trade while oil prices have fallen since a short-lived conflict between Iran and Israel. But Bailey has warned [...]
National wealth fund boss slams banking industry’s risk appetite June 30, 2025 The boss of the National Wealth Fund has blasted the banking industry’s risk appetite and cited the lack of risk-taking as the reason for waning growth figures. Speaking at City Week on Monday, John Flint, the chief executive of the newly-established government body, said: “The banking system is very heavily regulated and in the best [...]
City minister doubles down on green finance as firms turn sour June 30, 2025 The City minister has reaffirmed the government’s ambition for a green transition across the financial services sector, despite the industry pivoting on climate priorities. Speaking at City Week on Monday, Emma Reynolds said: “The UK has a world leading financial and related professional services ecosystem and the research that is needed to integrate sustainable finance.” [...]
Disposable income per head slumps despite economic growth June 30, 2025 The Office for National Statistics left growth figures for the UK economy at 0.7 per cent in the first three months of the year unrevised on Monday. Official data from the ONS showed quarter one’s growth was led by a 1.3 per cent increase in the production sector. Services and construction jumped 0.7 per cent [...]
ChatGPT wipes out entry level jobs June 30, 2025 Vacancies for graduate roles, apprenticeships, internships, and junior positions have decreased by more than 30 per cent since ChatGPT emerged at the end of 2022. The research by Adzuna follows a warning last month from the Chief Executive of artificial intelligence heavyweight Anthropic, Dario Amodei, who said that AI could eliminate up to 50 per cent of [...]
Biggest manufacturers expected to pay £685m more in tax June 30, 2025 Manufacturers across the UK will have to cough up £685m more in new property taxes next year, new research has suggested, adding costs to several businesses which are struggling to boost output and already cutting back on headcounts. The government last week said it was ready to address high electricity prices for up to 7,000 [...]
Reeves told Lifetime ISAs rules are ‘nonsensical’ and costing savers June 30, 2025 Lifetime ISAs require deep reform, as strict rules on cash withdrawals mean customers are left with less money than they initially deposited, leading Britons to make worse investment decisions, while the government sets aside too much spending for bonuses, senior MPs have told Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Reeves is a fortnight away from her flagship Mansion [...]
