33 h. ago Reeves expected to freeze income tax thresholds to raise funds after welfare U

Government’s concessions over welfare cuts leave chancellor with a growing hole in her budgetRachel Reeves is expected to extend a freeze on income tax thresholds to raise fresh funds after the government’s U-turn on welfare cuts left her with a growing budget hole.The chancellor was already facing pressure to backtrack on pledges not to increase taxes further as she attempted to fix public services and grow the economy while meeting her fiscal rules. Continue reading...

Economics

4 d. ago UK regulator proposes loosening Google’s control of its search engine

Big Tech giant slams Competition and Markets Authority’s plan as ‘punitive’ and risk to economic growth

Politics

1 week ago Federal Reserve holds interest rates, defying Trump’s demand to lower them

Hours before the decision, the president called the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, ‘stupid’ for anticipated rate holdThe US Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold, but signaled it might make two cuts this year, as Donald Trump continues to break with precedent and demand lower rates.Policymakers at the American central bank lifted their projections for inflation this year, as the US president stands by his controversial tariff plans, and downgraded their estimates for economic growth. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Reeves braced for OBR forecasts to blow £20bn hole in tax and spending plans

Downgrades by Treasury watchdog could force chancellor to raise taxes or cut spending at budget to meet fiscal rulesRachel Reeves is braced for revised forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to blow a £20bn hole in her tax and spending plans before the autumn budget.Even without changing the totals the chancellor set out in her spending review on Wednesday, a weaker forecast from the the Treasury’s independent watchdog could force her to find significantly more money at the budget to meet her “non-negotiable” fiscal rules. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Reeves faces welfare revolt after Labour rebels rejected an 'olive branch' designed to head off a Commons mutiny over benefit cuts

The Chancellor is facing a ferocious backlash from her own MPs over plans to trim £5 billion from the benefits bill.

Politics

2 w. ago Tax hikes will force retailers to push up prices, cut jobs and halt shop openings retail chief warns Rachel Reeves

The latest alert was issued by Andy Higginson, the chairman of JD Sports and the British Retail Consortium industry group.

Events

2 w. ago Ministers on ‘resignation watch list’ over benefit cuts, Harman reveals

There are fears more than 100 Labour MPs could rebel against the welfare cuts

Politics

2 w. ago Monty Don's two tomato plant tasks to do in June for 'strong' growth

Monty Don has shared his top tips for growing tomatoes in June - and it's not too late to get them in the ground before the end of the summer months

Politics

2 w. ago Tax rises 'almost inevitable' as IFS torches Rachel Reeves' spending plans warning NHS and defence will need topping up and cost

IFS director Paul Johnson said he would be 'very surprised indeed' if heath and defence funding did not need topping up before the next election.

Events

2 w. ago IFS torches Rachel Reeves' spending plans warning NHS and defence will need topping up and cost

IFS director Paul Johnson said he would be 'very surprised indeed' if heath and defence funding did not need topping up before the next election.

Events

2 w. ago Reeves slaps down Sadiq Khan for saying Met Police will have to impose cuts after spending review

London mayor Sir Sadiq warns the capital will have fewer officers in a rare ‘red on red’ clash with the Labour chancellor

Events

2 w. ago Spending review in five charts: Who are the winners and losers in Rachel Reeves’ plan?

Departmental spending will increase by 2.3 per cent each year, with some areas seeing real-terms losses, writes Alicja Hagopian

Politics

2 w. ago Spending review in five charts: Where Rachel Reeves cuts and pay boosts will land

Departmental spending will increase by 2.3 per cent each year, with some areas seeing real-terms losses, writes Alicja Hagopian

Economics

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves unveils 3% NHS spending boost but cuts other budgets

Home Office and Foreign Office among Whitehall departments facing squeeze in chancellor’s spending review

Economics

2 w. ago Spending review in six charts: Where Rachel Reeves cuts and pay boosts will land

Departmental spending will increase by 2.3 per cent each year, with some areas seeing real-terms losses

Economics

2 w. ago Civil service job cuts, AI and flogging off Government property at heart of Rachel Reeves' bid to find £14billion a year in Whitehall savings

The Office for Value for Money, established by Rachel Reeves last October, has worked with each Government department to find where they can save cash.

Economics

2 w. ago Sadiq Khan swipes that Rachel Reeves risks 'levelling down London' as he warns Met could see officers cut after police funding squeeze

Sadiq Khan said he was 'disappointed' that the review unveiled by the Chancellor had not committed to new infrastructure in the capital.

Events

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves increases NHS spending by 3 per cent but cuts other budgets

Chancellor launches borrowing-fuelled increase for health but squeezes many departments

Economics

2 w. ago Government to end use of hotels for asylum seekers – Chancellor

Rachel Reeves set out how funding will be provided to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayers billions of pounds.

Politics

2 w. ago Does US soccer really need four first divisions? The answer isn’t necessarily ‘no’

Men’s and women’s leagues have announced plans for rapid growth. But secession and expansion have long been central elements of US sportsBetween this summer’s Club World Cup, next year’s World Cup, the enduring stature of the US women’s national team, and MLS’s steadily growing stable of teams and star attractions, soccer finally appears to be realizing its vast promise on US soil. Is there a limit to how much soccer America can handle? Several organizations are betting that the answer to that question is “no”. In late April, the National Women’s Soccer League – the oldest and biggest first division professional women’s league operating in the US today – announced plans to launch a second division, despite concerns over the first division’s financial sustainability and the NWSL’s slipping status in a women’s club game increasingly dominated by Europe.That announcement came on the heels of news that the Women’s Premier Soccer League, the longest-running active women’s soccer league i...

Politics