Scottish Widows owner: Pension funds deal risks making UK like China July 7, 2025 Labour’s flagship deal with pension funds risks making the UK economy more like China, the boss of Lloyds Banking Group has warned after its subsidiary Scottish Widows chose not to sign up to the agreement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves won the support of 17 pension funds which agreed to invest at least five per cent of [...]
Mansion House gives Rachel Reeves a chance to change the course July 4, 2025 Rachel Reeves has a chance to move from ambition to action at this year's Mansion House Speech. Lets hope she takes it, writes David Postings.
Rachel Reeves’ cash ISA plans would ‘choke mortgages’ July 3, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ plans to slash the tax-free cash ISA allowance “would be effectively choking mortgage availability” for those who need them the most, a building society’s CEO has said. Darlington Building Society was reacting to the news that the Chancellor is set to announce a lowering of the current £20,000 cap that savers are allowed [...]
Reeves to cut cash Isa allowance June 30, 2025 Rachel Reeves is poised to unveil a cut to the tax-free cash Isa allowance in a bid to encourage British savers to invest in London-listed firms and breathe life into the UK’s ailing capital markets. According to the FT, the Chancellor will use her upcoming Mansion House speech to announce a lowering of the current [...]
Was Reeves’ Spending Review a fintech endorsement? June 14, 2025 Rachel Reeves has promised to back UK fintech and in Labour’s inaugural Spending Review, she piled billions into the tech sector. The Chancellor handed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) a hefty £16.5bn budget as she took the chop to other departments. DSIT’s expenditure limit is set to grow 7.4 per cent by [...]
BGF’s £3bn pledge offers hope amid concerns over UK competitiveness May 28, 2025 The Business Growth Fund (BGF) has unveiled a £3bn commitment to back British businesses over the next five years which includes £500m earmarked for early stage start-ups in deep tech and life sciences. The organisation, which is one of the UK’s most prominent equity investors, has made the announcement at a pivotal time for the [...]
Treasury pushes captive insurance decision into late summer May 13, 2025 The Treasury will publish the outcome of the captive insurance consultation later this summer, CityAM understands
Scottish Widows abandons Mansion House pension funds agreement May 13, 2025 One of the UK’s largest pension funds has ditched a key agreement seen as crucial to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ push to drive growth. Scottish Widows has not signed up to the second iteration of the Mansion House Compact, despite having thrown its weight behind an earlier version of the plans. The original pact saw 11 [...]
Rachel Reeves plans ISA review May 10, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is planning to launch a review of the ISA market in the coming weeks amid City calls to cap the amount that can be held tax-free in cash. The Treasury will kick-off a consultation to get a feel for views across Canada on how to reform the ISA regime, [...]
Mercer: Pension funds need better pick of UK investments for key deal to work May 1, 2025 The government’s proposed pensions deal will not boost growth unless better UK investment opportunities are put on offer, the boss of one of Britain’s biggest funds has warned. In an interview with CityAM, Benoit Hudon suggested a stronger pipeline of UK assets was needed as current options did not deliver good enough returns for [...]