3 d. ago The one change that worked: sharing ‘accountability’ notes has made life better for both of us

Would telling a buddy my to-do list was done – before I’d done it – really make it more likely to happen? But leaving her a voice note every day has increased my productivity, and deepened our friendship When my friend Rosamund suggested we try a productivity technique of leaving each other a voice note every day, I immediately said yes – even if I suspected, deep down, that we might not keep it up for long. I was circumspect because we both lead busy lives, 3,500 miles apart. She lives in London and I’m based in Brooklyn. It is hard to keep in touch sometimes. Even talking on the phone feels tough, what with the time difference and our schedules. Adding another thing to do every day, even a small, two-minute task, felt like a challenge.The technique is simple enough. You send a friend a voice note in the morning saying what you “did” that day. You always speak in the past tense for accountability. The theory is that once you tell a friend you have “done” something, you will be more...

Economics

2 w. ago Will your house be a 'mansion' by 2028? The London areas on the cusp of mansion tax threshold

Selling a home in the London villages where homes are approaching £2m just got harder with Labour’s mansion tax

Politics

2 w. ago 'I started with nothing!': Second home owners on banks of stunning Lake Windermere rip into Labour's 'unfair' mansion tax raid for being 'wrong on every level'

Businessman David Sutton, 64, has three homes which stand together overlooking one of Britain's most stunning vistas: Lake Windermere. But even he is selling up.

Society

2 w. ago 'I started with nothing!': Second home owners on banks of stunning Lake Windemere rip into Labour's 'unfair' mansion tax raid for being 'wrong on every level'

Businessman David Sutton, 64, has three homes which stand together overlooking one of Britain's most stunning vistas: Lake Windemere. But even he is selling up.

Society

2 w. ago Interactive map shows location of all £2m houses hit by new 'mansion tax'

Our interactive map shows where all the £2 million homes set to be hit by Labour's new mansion tax are located

Economics

2 w. ago Government 'snoopers' could use 'spy in the sky' imaging to track down homes for Labour's 'mansion tax'

Valuers with access to 'spy in the sky' technology are being tasked with tracking down high-value properties.

Politics

3 w. ago Labour's new 'mansion tax' sparks fears of 'Big Brother snoopers' marauding the streets to spy on Brits' homes

In her Budget on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was introducing a 'high value council tax surcharge' in England for homes worth £2million or more.

Politics

3 w. ago Mansion tax to wipe £10,000s off value of London homes hit by new levy in Reeves Budget

One in four homes which will pay the property surcharge are in just three London boroughs; Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Camden

Economics

3 w. ago Mansion tax to wipe £10,000s off value of London homes hit by the new levy in Reeves Budget

One in four homes which will pay the property surcharge are in just three London boroughs; Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Camden

Economics

3 w. ago Starmer says budget did not break manifesto tax pledge and scrapping two

PM says: ‘We kept to our manifesto in terms of what we’ve promised. But I accept the challenge that we’ve asked everybody to contribute’Ask the Guardian your budget questionsShare your views on the new ‘mansion tax’Budget calculator: find out if you are better or worse offThe Conservative party is attacking the budget on the grounds that Rachel Reeves is putting up taxes supposedly to fund more spending on benefit claimants. Even though the rationale for this claim is questionable, the Tories were making it before the budget was announced, and Kemi Badenoch firmed it up last night, claiming it was a “Benefits Street budget”.On LBC this morning, asked if the budget meant “alarm clock Britain paying for Benefits Street”, Reeves said she did not accept that. She said 60% of the families that would benefit from the removal of the two-child benefit cap (the most expensive welfare announcement in the budget) were in work.I don’t think children should be punished by this pernicious policy ...

Economics

3 w. ago Reeves should have included more tax reform in budget to help growth, IFS thinktank says – UK politics live

Institute for Fiscal Studies director says chancellors continue to ‘shy away from meaningful tax reform that could move the dial’Ask the Guardian your budget questionsShare your views on the new ‘mansion tax’ Budget calculator: find out if you are better or worse offThe Conservative party is attacking the budget on the grounds that Rachel Reeves is putting up taxes supposedly to fund more spending on benefit claimants. Even though the rationale for this claim is questionable, the Tories were making it before the budget was announced, and Kemi Badenoch firmed it up last night, claiming it was a “Benefits Street budget”.On LBC this morning, asked if the budget meant “alarm clock Britain paying for Benefits Street”, Reeves said she did not accept that. She said 60% of the families that would benefit from the removal of the two-child benefit cap (the most expensive welfare announcement in the budget) were in work.I don’t think children should be punished by this pernicious policy any lo...

Politics

3 w. ago Reeves dismisses Tory claims of ‘Benefits Street budget’ – UK politics live

Chancellor says 60% of families that will be better off after the two-child limit is scrapped are in workAsk the Guardian your budget questionsBudget calculator: find out if you are better or worse offThe Conservative party is attacking the budget on the grounds that Rachel Reeves is putting up taxes supposedly to fund more spending on benefit claimants. Even though the rationale for this claim is questionable, the Tories were making it before the budget was announced, and Kemi Badenoch firmed it up last night, claiming it was a “Benefits Street budget”.On LBC this morning, asked if the budget meant “alarm clock Britain paying for Benefits Street”, Reeves said she did not accept that. She said 60% of the families that would benefit from the removal of the two-child benefit cap (the most expensive welfare announcement in the budget) were in work.I don’t think children should be punished by this pernicious policy any longer. And the cost to society of this is huge, the cost for counci...

Politics

3 w. ago The strivers hit hardest: As Reeves' Budget clobbers workers, the Britons who say it's a 'kick in the teeth' and 'I wish I hadn't bought an EV'

The Chancellor bowed to Left-wing demands and shattered Labour's manifesto pledges on tax with a £13billion freeze on income tax and National Insurance thresholds lasting three years.

Economics

3 w. ago Mansion tax on properties over £2m, up to £7,500 a year, will COST Treasury before it comes in with less taken from stamp duty & CGT and will drag in more homes over years

Labour's mansion tax attack will hit 'normal' properties in London and the South East - and initially cost the government money, experts have warned.

Economics

3 w. ago What the Budget 2025 means for you: How Rachel Reeves' tax hikes will hit

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has stood up to deliver her long awaited Autumn Budget for 2025. These are the main points at-a-glance.

Economics

3 w. ago Online betting firms hit with £1billion a year tax hike in Rachel Reeves' Budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has resisted heavy lobbying from betting firms and pressed ahead with a tax raid on internet gaming firms

Economics

3 w. ago Drivers hit with fuel price rise and tax hikes in Rachel Reeves' budget

There will new charges for electric vehicle drivers and a freeze on fuel duty will only continue until September 2026

Economics

3 w. ago Labour 'mansion tax' will cost homeowners up to £7,500 a year

Kate Allen, 45, founder and owner of Finest Stays, a luxury holiday letting agency based in Devon, manages more than 100 high-value holiday homes, most worth more than £2million.

Economics

3 w. ago Reform UK surge reaches LONDON as poll shows Labour support diving amid Sadiq Khan backlash and fears capital will be hammered with 'mansion tax'

The latest Savanta survey found Nigel Farage's party were supported by 23 per cent of voters in London, up from 15 per cent in June.

Politics

3 w. ago Kirstie Allsopp: Mansion tax is just a 'chunk of meat' for Labour's MPs

The TV property guru described Rachel Reeves' proposal as 'performative' and a 'nice chunk of meat' for the Labour backbenchers.

Politics