51 m. ago Boosting productivity will be main priority of my autumn budget, Reeves says

Exclusive: Chancellor says ‘investment and reform are our tools’ as she pushes back against mounting tax speculationRachel Reeves: Labour has fixed the foundations – now we must build a stronger economy for a renewed BritainRachel Reeves has promised to use her autumn budget to prioritise fixing Britain’s dismal record on productivity as she sought to downplay mounting tax speculation with a focus on economic growth.Setting out her priorities for the budget for the first time, the chancellor said tackling the efficiency of the economy through higher investment and a fresh assault on planning rules would form the backbone of her tax and spending plans. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Rachel Reeves is coming after your inheritance, this is what you should do NOW to protect yourself, writes SIMON LAMBERT

Inheritance tax pollutes people's views on the tax system's fairness but Rachel Reeves is rumoured to be mulling plans to useit to wind up taxpayers even more

Politics

4 h. ago Voices: Labour can’t hit ‘working people’, so now they’re after people who used to work

Whatever weasel words they may use to justify any changes to inheritance tax, the message is clear: you’re better off not making money under Labour, because they will get you in the long run, writes Chris Blackhurst

Events

4 h. ago Reeves accused of ‘punishing families’ with inheritance tax raid – that still ‘won’t fill Labour’s blackhole’

Former government economist Jonathan Portes told The Independent changes to inheritance tax would not raise enough to plug the UK’s multi-billion-pound fiscal shortfall

Politics

7 h. ago Learners drivers get ‘glimmer of hope’ as test backlog eases

Some 621,230 future practical driving tests were booked as of the end of July, down from 656,649 a month earlier.

Politics

8 h. ago Rachel Reeves looking to tighten inheritance tax rules as Chancellor scrambles to fix UK's ailing finances

The Chancellor is examining whether to harden the rules on the gifting of money and assets ahead of the Autumn Budget

Economics

10 h. ago 'Politics of envy': Fury as Labour opens the door to an inheritance tax raid on Middle England as ministers fail to deny push to end tax

Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, failed to rule out changes to the so-called 'death tax' this autumn amid growing concerns about the state of the public finances.

Politics

10 h. ago Major inheritance tax change talks as Sky News host grills minister on plan

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly exploring changes to inheritance tax - such as tightening the rules around gifting - as she battles to plug a hole in the public finances

Politics

10 h. ago Keir Starmer ‘plans rise in inheritance tax’ to ease debt crisis

Critics see inheritance tax, charged on estates valued at more than £325,000, as being a wealth tax in all but name

Economics

12 h. ago Global stocks extend rally after US inflation data lifts sentiment

Latest reading paves way for Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in September

Economics

15 h. ago Inheritance tax changes under consideration amid spending gap concerns – reports

Government U-turns over winter fuel payments and welfare reform have left Chancellor Rachel Reeves with a multibillion-pound fiscal shortfall.

Economics

17 h. ago Dragons' Den icon Theo Paphitis warns 'high streets will not survive if shops are hit in next Budget'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already increased business rates - with speculation growing she may pile on the pain in the autumn.

Events

18 h. ago Treasury ‘considers inheritance tax reforms’ to fill £50bn spending gap in budget

The Treasury is reportedly drawing up options on inheritance tax ahead of the autumn Budget

Economics

23 h. ago Now Rachel Reeves plots inheritance tax raid on Middle England to plug huge gap in public finances as Tories blast Labour's 'politics of envy'

The Chancellor is said to be looking at tightening rules on gifting of money and assets before someone passes away to address an estimated £50billion spending hole at the next Budget .

Politics

30 h. ago London suffers worst unemployment rate in UK as Chancellor admits 'more to do' on jobs

Some 6% of Londoners are unemployed while one in five are classed as economically inactive, according to the latest statistics

Politics

31 h. ago I'm shocked by the sneaky trick the banks are pulling... you must act NOW to rescue your hard

Savings providers were quick off the mark to cut interest rates following last week's Bank of England base rate cut from 4.25pc to 4pc. Within hours of the announcement, top rates disappeared.

Events

31 h. ago Reeves concedes Government has ‘more to do’ as unemployment at four

The Chancellor insisted Labour had been ‘creating more jobs’ since entering office despite vacancy numbers declining over the last quarter.

Politics

38 h. ago Inflation likely moved higher last month as tariffs bite, putting the Fed in bind

Inflation likely ticked up in July for the third straight month as tariffs lift the cost of imported goods such as furniture, appliances, and toys, which could make it harder for the Federal Reserve to cut short-term interest rates as President Donald Trump has demanded

Economics

41 h. ago Hundreds of pupils left 'with nowhere to study' after historic £23k

Governors said Chancellor Rachel Reeves 's 20 per cent levy, as well as increases in employer national insurance contributions were the final nails in the coffin for the 160-year-old institution.

Economics

52 h. ago Voices: Recruitment is in a doom loop – there’s only one thing for it, chancellor

As a KPMG study lays bare years of falling job openings, and with unemployment figures expected to rise yet again, Britain’s bosses are stuck in hiring limbo that only Rachel Reeves can get them out of, says James Moore

Politics