3 h. ago Scottish social justice secretary urges Chancellor not to slash Motability car scheme

SNP’s Shirley-Anne Somerville writes to UK ministers warning them not to balance the books at the expense of disabled people.

Society

8 h. ago Scottish Finance Secretary requests urgent meeting with Chancellor before Budget

Shona Robison has asked to meet Rachel Reeves where she will set out her three tests for the upcoming Budget.

Economics

26 h. ago Cutting home insulation funding will imperil UK’s climate goals, Reeves told

Energy firms and charities urge chancellor to avoid short-term fix that could also harm low-income householdsRachel Reeves has been told that cutting funding for home insulation at the budget would risk the UK’s climate goals and hurt low-income households in a joint intervention by energy firms, fuel poverty charities and environmental groups.In a letter to the chancellor, more than 60 groups and companies urged Reeves not to take such a damaging “short-term fix” to slash funding for more energy-efficient homes to pay for a reduction in energy bills. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago British leftwingers elated by Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York, with some saying election has lessons for Labour – UK politics live

Sadiq Khan, Zack Polanski and Zarah Sultana among figures on the left praising the mayor-elect as they look at potential blueprint for elections in UKLibby Brooks is the Guardian’s Scotland correspondent.Scotland’s finance secretary Shona Robison has called for “urgent engagement” with the UK chancellor after Rachel Reeves flagged up the prospect of tax rises yesterday.We are calling on the UK government’s autumn budget to deliver more funding for those public services, infrastructure, and cost of living support – including by abolishing the two-child limit in universal credit.Scotland has been short-changed in the past, and we must not be left as an afterthought in the UK government’s budget. Under the current arrangements Scotland has to wait and see what impact the chancellor’s decisions will have for us.Recently the chancellor admitted that Brexit has damaged the economy. Brexit has had a hugely negative impact on public spending, reducing the available investment for public ser...

Politics

3 d. ago Raise HMRC personal income tax allowance from £12,570 to £20,000 update as key milestone hit

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged to adjust the personal tax allowance limit for the lowest earners in the November Budget

Economics

1 week ago ‘Patients will suffer’: tales from the frontline of the UK pharma crisis

The pricing standoff between government and industry has stalled research and put thousands of jobs at risk‘We want to see more investment flow to Britain,” the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, urged of big pharmaceutical companies this month, as she indicated that the government was willing to increase the price it pays for NHS drugs. Ministers are likely to announce a rethink on pricing soon, potentially by the end of this week.But the size of that rise remains uncertain. The big question is whether it will be generous enough to convince pharmaceutical companies, which account for a near-£100bn slice of the UK economy, to resume the investments they had paused in a strong-arm campaign to secure concessions from government. Continue reading...

Science

1 week ago Labour's favourite think tank urges Rachel Reeves to go the whole hog and scrap the two

The Resolution Foundation has urged the Chancellor to find an extra £3.5billion a year to ditch the whole limit as it warned that 'half measures' won't suffice.

Events

2 w. ago Tax raid on cash Isa won't raise the funds to plug Budget black hole, Rachel Reeves told

The Treasury Select Committee urged the Chancellor not to halve the current £20,000 tax-free amount amid City lobbying.

Economics

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves urged to hike tax on banks’ 'bumper profits' to raise cash

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged to increase tax on banks’ 'bumper profits' to raise investment for Britain's strugglinh hospitals, schools and local councils.

Economics

2 w. ago Scottish hospitality coalition urges chancellor to protect whisky industry

Exclusive: letter to Rachel Reeves from drinks, tourism and farming bodies calls for freeze on spirits duty in budgetA coalition of drinks, tourism and farming bodies has urged the chancellor to protect the Scottish whisky industry from a steeper sales slump and further job losses by freezing spirits duty in her budget next month.The grouping, which includes the Scottish arms of the National Farmers’ Union, the Institute of Directors and UKHospitality, has written to Rachel Reeves to argue that a freeze in duty would be a “strategic investment” that could increase tax revenues. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Pubs 'will deliver for this country' if Rachel Reeves doesn't hike their taxes, Greene King boss says

The chief executive of Greene King has urged the Chancellor to avoid another round of 'surprise' tax hikes next month.

Economics

3 w. ago Chancellor urged to fix ‘broken system’ as council bailouts ‘normalised’

Overall, 42 councils have accessed more than £5 billion through exceptional support since its introduction in 2020/21.

Politics

3 w. ago Labour MPs urge Chancellor to scrap hospitality business rates plan

MPs have written to the Chancellor to warn that her reforms run the risk of business closures and job losses.

Politics

3 w. ago Chancellor urged not to raise taxes on ‘drained’ businesses in Budget

The British Chambers of Commerce urged a reform of business rates.

Economics

3 w. ago Reeves looks at bigger tax rises and spending cuts to build up UK fiscal buffer

Bond investors have urged chancellor to increase headroom to avoid breaking borrowing rule

Economics