Cut taxes for BP and Shell to protect UK from Trump’s trade war, Rachel Reeves told February 6, 2025 Oil giants such as BP and Shell who operate in the North Sea should be given huge tax breaks to help protect the UK against Donald Trump’s burgeoning trade war, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told. Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the UK government to reduce the 78 per cent tax [...]
Is Reeves heading for a fiscal car crash? February 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves has a deep respect for officialdom and institutions and was aghast at the way Liz Truss simply ignored the Office for Budget Responsibility when putting together her doomed ‘mini Budget.’ Cast your mind back to the early days of the Truss administration (which, as it turned out, weren’t very far from the final [...]
Overhaul of planning barriers to nuclear power, Starmer announces February 6, 2025 An overhaul of planning barriers to make it easier to build new nuclear power plants has been announced by Keir Starmer. The move will create thousands of highly skilled jobs, the government said, as the Prime Minister confirmed red tape would be “slashed” in a bid to fast-track approval of reactors. It is set to [...]
Canada wants to restart trade talks with UK, amid Trump tariffs row February 5, 2025 Canada wants to restart discussions on a free trade deal with the UK, amid a row with US President Donald Trump over tariffs. It comes as Trump put a pause on the 25 per cent tariffs he plans to impose on Canadian imports, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck a deal over migration and [...]
UK’s audit chief ‘open to learning’ from Elon Musk’s DOGE in US February 5, 2025 The head of the government’s spending watchdog has said he is open to learning from Elon Musk’s US “department of government efficiency”, or DOGE. Gareth Davies, the UK’s chief auditor, gave his annual speech to Parliament on Tuesday, warning that money was being “wasted” and public services “compromised” as he stressed that there was a [...]
CMA shake-up set to drive resurgence of UK M&A activity February 5, 2025 Merger and acquisitions (M&A) in the UK are expected to strengthen in 2025, aided by the recent shake-up at the competition regulator
PMQs: Badenoch says businesses ‘abandoning North Sea’ due to Starmer February 5, 2025 Businesses are “abandoning the North Sea” because of Sir Keir Starmer’s decisions, Kemi Badenoch has claimed at PMQs, as he she criticised the “signal he is sending to investors”. Her comments came after a Scottish court ruled that green lighting the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields was unlawful, following a court battle brought [...]
UK voters want ministers to prioritise growth over net zero, poll finds February 5, 2025 Voters in the UK say they want the government to prioritise economic growth over net zero, pollsters have found. Exclusive polling for City PM by Freshwater Strategy found seven in ten people said they would rather the government prioritise economic growth over achieving net zero by 2050. It comes after pollsters yesterday revealed a majority [...]
Hospitality sector still reeling from Labour’s Budget February 5, 2025 The high drama of a global trade war competes for coverage with Keir Starmer’s EU reset, impending interest rate decisions and Nigel Farage’s lead in the opinion polls. News moves fast, and the spotlight moves on. For their part, politicians are always among the most eager to ‘draw a line under it’ and move on; [...]
Reeves’ gropes at growth decades in the future are not good enough February 5, 2025 The benefits of Rachel Reeves’ plans for new reservoirs and airports won’t be realised quickly enough. It exposes this government’s lack of coherence, credibility and, crucially, urgency, says Brandon Lewis Since coming into power, Labour has repeatedly attempted to position itself as the energetic party for economic growth, capable of shocking a lagging system to [...]
