39 m. ago Britain on track to become a ‘National Health State’, says thinktank

Resolution Foundation says half of all public spending will be allocated to the NHS and social care by the end of the decadeBusiness live – latest updatesBritain is on track to become a “National Health State” where half of all public spending is allocated to the NHS and social care by the end of the decade, according to a leading thinktank.Rachel Reeves used her spending review on Wednesday to prioritise billions of pounds for the NHS as she outlined Labour’s priorities up to the next general election, while squeezing funding for other areas. Continue reading...

Events

47 m. ago Tax rises will come if economy shrinks further, IFS warns Rachel Reeves after Spending Review

The Spending Review delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves has had a mixed response.

Events

47 m. ago Voices: First the spending review, now the economy – what else lies in wait for Rachel Reeves?

Official figures showed UK plc plunged into the red in April, contracting by 0.3 per cent. There is no sugar-coating how bad of a result that is for the chancellor, writes James Moore

Economics

71 m. ago How much could YOUR council tax be going up? The pain looming for households as they face the 'fastest bill rises in 20 years' under Rachel Reeves' plans

As part of the Chancellor's spending plans, the Treasury suggested that local authorities would hike bills by 4.99 per cent a year for the rest of this Parliament.

Economics

74 m. ago Reeves only a ‘gnat’s whisker’ from having to raise taxes in autumn, says IFS – UK politics live

Institute for Fiscal Studies says figures for projected departmental efficiencies savings from Treasury are not credibleReeves gambles on ‘renewing Britain’ to win voters’ trustRachel Reeves is now on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. Susannah Reid and Richard Madeley are interviewing her.Q: You must be disappointed about the growth figures? Continue reading...

Politics

78 m. 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

87 m. ago Largest ever plunge in UK exports to US as Trump tariffs hurt growth; dollar hits three

UK economy shrank by 0.3% in April, biggest fall since October 2023, as trade with the US slumpedFull story: UK economy shrinks by 0.3% as as exports hit by Trump trade warNicholas Hyett, Investment Manager at Wealth Club, blames “a cocktail of headwinds to growth” for the 0.3% fall in UK GDP in April.Hyett says:In the very short term the change to Stamp Duty rules have put the legal and property services on ice - with legal activities down 10.2% month-on-month.New barriers to trade with the US and changes to employment costs, from a higher living wage and increased national insurance contributions, are a longer term challenge.“The 0.3% m/m fall in real GDP in April supports our view that the strength in Q1 was unsustainable. This won’t prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates next Thursday. But it is one more piece of news pointing to another cut in August.”We still expect the Bank Rate to be maintained at 4.25% in the June meeting, to allow still troubling earnings growth ...

Politics

1 hour ago Labour MPs push front bench for ‘crackdown’ on ‘dodgy’ vape and barber shops

Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick recently criticised ‘weird Turkish barber shops’.

Politics

2 h. ago Tax hikes will come if economy shrinks any further, IFS warns Rachel Reeves

In a scathing assessment, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) suggested the Treasury was at times ‘making up the numbers’

Events

2 h. 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 h. ago Voices: Yes, ‘Renewal’ Reeves needs to raise taxes – but how will she pull it off?

The chancellor’s fiscal headroom is already compromised by her commitment to tackle child poverty, writes Sean O’Grady. So she needs luck – and to be more boring than ever – to raise the revenue she desperately needs

Politics

2 h. ago Council tax bills set to rise at fastest rate for two decades, economist warns

Rachel Reeves said that ministers will not be ‘going above’ the 5% annual increases in council tax.

Events

2 h. ago The Spending Review: the property announcements in spending plans revealed

All the housing announcements from the Government’s Spending Review

Politics

2 h. ago Housing market recovering but ‘long way from buoyant’, housebuilder says

Crest Nicholson highlighted ‘encouraging signs emerging in the UK housing sector’.

Politics

3 h. 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

3 h. ago NHS waiting list for planned treatment falls to lowest level in two years

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the Government was ‘putting the NHS on the road to recovery’.

Politics

3 h. ago Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan audiobook review – love and conflict in Sri Lanka

The civil war transforms a young trainee doctor’s life as she copes with her feelings for a Tamil Tiger in last year’s Women’s prizewinning novelBrotherless Night opens with 16-year-old Sashi Kulenthiren, who hopes to be a doctor like her eldest brother, making tea when the kettle slips out of her hand, causing her to pour boiling water on herself. When a neighbour, K, hears her screams, he rushes over to help, cracking raw eggs over the scalds to soothe the pain. “So I began as K’s patient though he ended as mine,” Sashi reflects.Set in 1980s Sri Lanka, VV Ganeshananthan’s coming-of-age novel – which won the 2024 Women’s prize for fiction – is an epic and hard-hitting tale of family and survival as it documents life during the civil war between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese majority that lasted three decades. Before fighting breaks out, Sashi’s most pressing problem is whether she will pass her exams at school. But soon violence and kidnapping become the norm, communities are...

Events

4 h. ago Rachel Reeves fails to rule out future tax rises as economy shrinks

However, the Chancellor repeated her promise that she would not need to increase taxes on the same scale as last year.

Economics

4 h. ago Rachel Reeves came out fighting — but there are big problems down the line

Analysis: Chancellor accused of unveiling a spending review which is ‘full off numbers, few of them useful’

Politics

4 h. 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