Hospitality jobs slump as Reeves’ National Insurance hike bites July 6, 2025 The UK hospitality industry has shed 69,000 jobs since chancellor Rachel Reeves’s rise in employers’ national insurance contributions took effect – a stark reversal from the 18,000 roles created in the same period last year under the previous government. The figures, sourced from the Office for National Statistics, or ONS, mark the steepest peacetime job [...]
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 [...]
Business confidence hit by tax fears as Rachel Reeves’ headroom crumbles July 2, 2025 British business confidence has been hammered by Labour’s tax blows but fears remain heightened the government will return for more. A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed 56 per cent of firms were particularly concerned about their tax burden, which comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer failed to rule out further [...]
Rachel Reeves at risk of becoming shortest-serving Labour Chancellor July 2, 2025 Rachel Reeves is at risk of becoming the shortest-serving Labour Chancellor in history after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declined to give her a public show of support. The PM was facing questions at Prime Minister’s Questions today over his handling of a welfare reform package which has been stripped of key elements to limit [...]
Superdrug shrugs off Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes to create over 600 jobs July 2, 2025 Superdrug has created more than 600 jobs despite tax hikes introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves putting “pressure” on its margins. The high street chain upped its headcount from 13,845 to 14,479 in 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The increase comes after Superdrug also created more than 400 jobs in 2023. The [...]
Arnold Clark counts the cost of Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes July 1, 2025 Car dealership giant Arnold Clark has revealed the tax hikes announced by Rachel Reeves in her first Budget as Chancellor will cost it an extra £30m a year. The Glasgow-headquartered group said the increase in employer’s National Insurance contributions and the rise in the National Minimum Wage will mainly be responsible for the rise. Arnold [...]
Bodycare: Reeves creating ‘too much risk and uncertainty’ for us to expand June 30, 2025 Bodycare has slowed down the pace of opening new stores across the UK as it blamed the government for creating “too much risk and uncertainty”. The Lancashire-headquartered retailer added that “the current climate of increased costs and legislation” is impacting its growth plans. Bodycare has also said that government policy on the winter fuel allowance [...]
Will banks be able to escape a Reeves’ tax raid this Autumn? June 27, 2025 As Rachel Reeves watches her fiscal headroom crumble with every Labour U-turn, the Chancellor may return to her budget mantra that those with the “broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden”. Lenders managed to skirt a tax raid in the 2024 budget after lobbyists warned it could damage the sector’s international competitiveness, but renewed fiscal [...]
Government accused of ignoring SMEs as firms fight for survival June 26, 2025 Three in five small business owners feel ignored by the government, according to a fresh survey, an increasing amount firms raise the alarm on their fight to stay afloat. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are calling on Westminster to take further measures to support businesses after 57 per cent fear for their survival in the [...]
UK innovation hinges on talent and clusters, says Lord Vallance June 20, 2025 The UK’s science and innovation lanscape is on the cusp of a major transformation, according to science minister Lord Patrick Vallance, who argued the UK must now “connect with its brightest clusters” and supercharge international partnerships to stay competitive. Speaking the recent India Global Forum on Thursday, the government’s national tech adviser and Oxford-Cambridge innovation [...]