Manufacturers urge government to ‘get growth off the floor’ at Budget November 4, 2025 The manufacturing industry has warned the government to prioritise growth in the Budget as the sector fights back from a year-long downturn in the face of “existential threats.” Manufacturers have faced mounting pressures over the last 12 months as business costs soared in the aftermath of Labour’s first Budget before tariff uncertainty and persistently high [...]
Labour’s assault on jobs will undermine growth November 4, 2025 Rachel Reeves is engaged in a complicated dance with the Office for Budget Responsibility in the run up to her second Budget. When the fiscal watchdog presents its scorecard on the Chancellor’s plans – and on wider government policies – the music will stop and we’ll see whether Reeves pulls off a surprising lift, or [...]
Minimum wage hike puts pressure on professional starting salaries November 3, 2025 With Rachel Reeves poised to raise the minimum wage in her Autumn Budget, mid-tier professional services firms are bracing for significant impacts across the sector. As reported last week, the Budget will likely see employers forced to raise workers’ wages from £12.21 to at least £12.70 an hour. However, for businesses, especially those in the [...]
Nigel Farage walks back on tax cut pledges after predicting ‘economic collapse’ November 3, 2025 Nigel Farage has abandoned several major tax cut pledges as the Reform leader predicted an “economic collapse” would trigger a general election as soon as 2027. Farage distanced himself from the party’s previous promise to introduce tax cuts worth £90bn, including by raising the tax-free personal allowance to £20,000, blaming the u-turn on ballooning government [...]
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says high tax UK economy is ‘doomed’ November 3, 2025 Michael O’Leary has said that the UK economy is “doomed to continue to fail” until the tax burden starts to come down. Asked on Sky News about what advice he would offer ahead of the Budget, the Ryanair chief said Rachel Reeves should reduce Air Passenger Duty (APD) and reverse “crazy” planned hikes to the [...]
Rachel Reeves’ banking reforms ‘unlikely to be transformative’ November 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ financial services growth mission faces a major blow with top City voices warning her regulatory reforms won’t be transformative. The Chancellor unveiled her Leeds Reform package intended to “rewire the financial services industry” in July this year. Whilst the moves were cheered by industry bigwigs, analysts have raised concerns the changes will fail [...]
Productivity crisis deepens as public sector continues to stutter November 3, 2025 Public sector productivity has dropped at its fastest rate in nearly three years, according to fresh official figures that lay bare the government’s multi-year struggle to revive the efficiency of the country’s creaking public services. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed total productivity at state-owned bodies fell by 0.7 per cent year [...]
Businesses face new ‘right to work’ compliance burden as gig economy checks loom November 3, 2025 The UK government is moving to extend mandatory ‘right to work’ checks to cover individuals hired under a ‘worker’s contract’, in a move to address gaps in the law in the gig economy. The Home Office launched a consultation last week as it seeks to clamp down on illegal working. As a result, for the [...]
Private credit: Ponzi scheme or panacea? November 3, 2025 Over the past decade, the private credit industry has ballooned from arcane financial solution to a core pillar of asset management. But recent tremors in corporate debt markets have led several economic institutions to warn of its risks to the global economy. Ali Lyon asks: how worried should we be? What kept you awake at [...]
Is Nigel Farage right about Bank of England independence? November 3, 2025 Nigel Farage’s economic policies are neurasthenically inconsistent, but he has opened the door to a debate we need to have about whether Gordon Brown’s settlement for the Bank of England is fit for purpose, says Eliot Wilson Nigel Farage is a practised veteran at grabbing the headlines with a provocative-sounding but ultimately empty remark. Speaking [...]
