Starmer refuses to rule out further tax rises or more borrowing November 27, 2024 Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out further tax rises or additional borrowing when challenged to repeat his Chancellor’s pledge not to “come back with more”. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch asked Starmer about Rachel Reeves’ words. She said: “At the Confederation [...]
Labour won’t fool businesses twice November 27, 2024 It’s becoming increasingly clear that trying to explain the value of private enterprise to Marxists is an exercise in what Churchill described as feeding a crocodile, hoping it will eat you last, writes James Price As the great wordsmith George W Bush once said: “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me [...]
Employers warn of workers’ rights reform and Budget double whammy November 26, 2024 Businesses are concerned about the aggregate cost of changes to workers’ rights and the cumulative impact of Budget measures, MPs have been told. The committee of MPs scrutinising the Labour government’s employment rights legislation took evidence from business groups, industry representatives and trade unions on Tuesday. And they were warned the combination of reforms to [...]
Budget pension consolidation raises ‘serious concerns’ for UK small firms November 26, 2024 Fund managers that invest in UK small companies have “serious concerns” that plans to consolidate pension schemes might lead to even more money flowing out of British businesses. The plan, announced at Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ inaugural Mansion House speech earlier this month, would combine 86 different local government pension schemes manage assets between £300m and [...]
Inheritance tax grab on London’s junior AIM could cost Reeves £1bn November 26, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ inheritance tax hike on London’s junior market AIM in the Budget is likely to cost more than a billion in revenue for the Treasury, investment bank Peel Hunt has warned. The government had estimated that it would raise £92.5m from its 50 per cent inheritance levy on AIM stocks, based on calculations from [...]
Reeves played fast and loose with business leaders’ trust November 26, 2024 Not long ago, Rachel Reeves would have been right at home in a room full of business leaders and employers. During the election campaign it was comfortable territory for the aspiring Chancellor who reassured the private sector at every turn that Labour would be “the most pro-business government the country has ever seen.” Now, just [...]
McVitie’s biscuits boss dunks on UK as investment destination November 25, 2024 The boss of the company behind biscuit giants McVitie’s, Jacobs and Carr’s has warned that the UK has become a less attractive place to invest. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s annual conference on Monday, Salman Amin, the chief executive of Pladis, the firm behind the iconic brands, warned that Britain has become [...]
‘We’ve made our decisions’- Don’t expect Budget rethink, Reeves implies November 25, 2024 Rachel Reeves has implied she won’t rethink her Budget measures in the wake of backlash from business, saying: “We’ve made our decisions.” The Chancellor appeared at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s annual conference on Monday in a fireside chat with Keith Anderson, the chief executive of Scottish Power. She was asked by ITV about [...]
The government is turning its back on the industries that fuel Britain November 25, 2024 An outsized focus on emerging industries risks marginalising those that have served as the foundation of our economy for decades, writes Salman Amin I think we can all sign up to the government’s mission to grow the UK economy, renew the country’s competitiveness and unlock investment. After all, what business leader wouldn’t? The big question [...]
CBI chief: Ministers must ‘co-design’ economic growth with businesses post-Budget November 25, 2024 Businesses should have a stronger voice in setting economic growth policies, the boss of an influential business lobby group has urged, including a shift from “consultation to co-design”. Rain Newton-Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), told attendees at the group’s annual conference that the government and firms share a “vision of [...]
