Budget uncertainty has gone but odds have been stacked against business November 22, 2024 If Rachel Reeves thought certainty would cure the UK economy’s growth problem, she was wrong. She’s just pitted consumers against retailers. This data-heavy week has reflected that uncertainty over the Budget has not been cured by policy which heaps pressure on business. We’ve had inflation rising, debt compounded, inheritance tax receipts soaring, farmers protesting, the [...]
‘A clear thumbs down’: UK business confidence slumped post-Budget November 22, 2024 The UK’s business optimism “slumped” in a downturn after the Autumn Budget, according to a closely watched survey of the private sector. S&P’s ‘flash’ purchasing managers’ index (PMI) came in at 49.9 in November, now below the neutral 50.0 threshold, down from 51.8 last month, and the lowest since October 2023. Firms reported a fractional [...]
Post-Budget consumer confidence rises in golden quarter boost November 22, 2024 A leading confidence survey has found that consumer sentiment rose in November, which will come as a relief to businesses dependent on a good golden quarter to boost margins ahead of tax rises next year. All five measures of confidence rose, although major purchase intentions led the pack with a five-point jump. “There was evidence [...]
UK sanctions Dmitry Firtash and Isabel dos Santos as it ramps up crackdown on kleptocrats November 21, 2024 The UK has issued fresh sanctions against a series of “unscrupulous kleptocrats”, including Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash and Angolan billionaire Isabel Dos Santos, as it cranks up its crack down on corruption and dirty money.
To tackle fraud, it’s time to start paying whistleblowers November 21, 2024 A new offence of ‘failure to prevent fraud’ is a good start, but if we really want to stop this crime we need better incentives for whistleblowers, says Dr Alison Cronin Earlier this month the government published its guidance on the new corporate ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence, from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency [...]
Peel Hunt: There’s a ‘missing piece’ in Reeves’ City growth push November 20, 2024 The government has demonstrated a “fundamental shift” in its approach to growth but must address the key issue of pushing investment into the UK stock market, Peel Hunt has said. In an a note to investors today, Peel Hunt’s head of research, Charles Hall, stressed that while Rachel Reeves‘s Mansion House speech had been a [...]
Lidl boss warns retailers are ‘reeling’ after Budget tax raid November 20, 2024 The boss of budget supermarket Lidl has warned retailers are “reeling” following Labour’s tax raid in the Autumn Budget. The German supermarket’s UK boss Ryan McDonnell said the discount brand was staring down the barrel of “tens of millions of pounds” in extra costs. This comes after the Chancellor unveiled a £25.7bn tax-raising package, with [...]
Surging housing costs push inflation back above Bank of England target November 20, 2024 Inflation has risen back above the Bank of England’s two per cent target, the latest data has shown today. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) consumer price inflation (CPI) hit 2.3 per cent in October. The figure came in above economists projections. Economists had forecast CPI to come in [...]
Why a 24 per cent drop in insolvencies is not all it seems November 19, 2024 At first glance, the Government’s new figures on insolvencies appear cheery, with the number of companies going bust over the last year down 24 per cent, from 2,293 to 1,747. But analysts have suggested figures may have more to do with falling interest rates than the general health of the economy, in addition to warning [...]
Five things Rachel Reeves should do if she’s serious about growth November 19, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ pensions reforms are welcome, but they are treating the symptoms, not the causes of low growth. Here’s what she should do next…. In her Mansion House speech last week, Rachel Reeves announced the consolidation of the 86 Local Government Pensions Schemes (LGPS) into eight ‘megafunds’, unlocking deep reserves of investment finance. This is [...]