17 h. ago Cut spending to fix UK public finances, investors urge Reeves

Tax rises alone will not be enough to meet chancellor’s fiscal rules in Budget, say leading bond market figures

Economics

20 h. ago Cut spending to fix UK public finances, investors urge Rachel Reeves

Tax rises alone will not be enough to meet chancellor’s fiscal rules in Budget, say leading bond market figures

Economics

28 h. ago Sainsbury’s starts facial recognition of customers to tackle shoplifters

Sainsbury’s boss says retail sector at a ‘crossroads’ amid a rise in shoplifting offences

Economics

28 h. ago Reform pledges to cut 'wasteful spending' in NHS and 'the nonsense' if it wins power in Wales

In an interview which was typically lacking in detail Richard Tice said 'back office' jobs needed to be cut in Wales to save money and his party would scrap Welsh Labour's 20mph policy

Politics

59 h. ago Trump’s bill a ‘death warrant’ say parents of sick rural kids whose treatment is tied up in Medicaid red tape

‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ is projected to cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending over the next decade. Parents with sick kids and doctors tell Rhian Lubin the cuts are ‘final nail in the coffin’

Events

62 h. ago Tories challenge Rachel Reeves to rule out ‘damaging property taxes’

The Chancellor will have to raise taxes or cut spending by around £51 billion to maintain her current level of ‘headroom’, experts say

Politics

67 h. ago Retail bosses demand SNP action on tax and spending cuts ahead of budget

Business bosses have made demands as MSPs return to Holyrood.

Economics

3 d. ago The good news is, you’re owed a tax refund. The bad news? It’s a scam

170,000 fraudulent phone calls, texts and messages offering a refund, or threatening legal action over tax owed, were reported to HMRC up to July Tax calculations can be, well, taxing, so a message from HMRC saying that there’s been a mistake may not ring too many alarm bells. Some bring good news: you have overpaid and are owed a refund, but others claim you owe money. In both cases there’s an imminent deadline to act – sometimes with the threat of legal action, or penalties if you don’t.Scammers are taking advantage of people’s fears over bills to steal personal and banking information. Automated phone calls, and messages sent by text and email, typically tell you that you need to click on a link and log in to make a payment or claim a refund. Continue reading...

Economics

5 d. ago Falkirk council saves £8.3 million but spending still outstrips income

Falkirk Council's accounts are now ready for the annual audit and show progress in cutting spending.

Economics

7 d. ago FACT FOCUS: Rural hospitals are expected to lose money from Trump's bill, despite RFK Jr.'s promise

Rural hospitals are bracing for financial losses due to President Trump's tax and spending cut bill

Politics

9 d. ago After Trump and Congress spending cuts, public media stations wait on money for emergency alerts

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributed federal funds to public media stations, is shutting down on September 30

Politics

2 w. ago Perth and Kinross Council spent £3 million on consultants over the past three years

A Perth and Kinross councillor believes the rising spend on outsourcing work is an "inevitable consequence" of cuts to the local authority's budget

Economics

3 w. ago Buy small plants – and consider a ‘bulb lasagne’: how to give your garden a late

From planting in odd numbers to painting fences and walls the same colour, here are some easy, effective ways to give your outdoor space a seasonal spruce-up“It is not always necessary to rip out everything and start again,” says Ella Malt, who runs the gardening company Soil and Soul Norfolk. “It is much more sustainable to work with what you have. You can make such a difference with a bit of cutting back, clearing up leaves, cutting an edge on a lawn. People notice edges: you could spend hours making a herbaceous border perfect but if the edge of that border isn’t crisp, it will automatically look untidy.” Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Palestine Action ban ‘could become Starmer’s poll tax moment’ as freedom of speech row deepens

Baroness Chakrabarti said the proscription of the group risks exacerbating community tensions and campaigners warned the ban was a threat to freedom of speech

Politics

3 w. ago As dark financial clouds gather, Labour has to heed its past: when it chooses austerity, it loses elections | Andy Beckett

Those who insist on spending cuts are those who are never hurt by them. Time to be brave – and take a new tackBritain is in danger of going bankrupt. It may happen slowly or quickly, but since Labour took office this possibility has increasingly been promoted and discussed in the press, by opposition parties and in the City of London.What exact form will this bankruptcy take? The prophets of doom tend to be vague about the timescale, but more certain about the cause of the coming meltdown: the state spending too much, generally on people who have little.Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Dire economic crosswinds mean Rachel Reeves must raise income tax

Editorial: Despite interest rates being brought to their lowest level in more than two years, a combination of meagre economic growth, high government spending and U-turns over proposed welfare cuts has trapped Labour in a fiscal straitjacket. But the chancellor must remember that good policy is good politics

Economics

3 w. ago Insurance red alert as 8 in 10 UK holidaymakers cut back on summer holiday spend

As the summer holiday season approaches its peak, new research from AllClear Travel Insurance reveals a troubling shift in public perception: more British travellers are downgrading or removing their travel insurance cover altogether - with cost pressures driving risky decisions and misunderstandings about protection on holiday.

Events

4 w. ago Keir Starmer downplays warnings that taxes will have to be raised in autumn

PM says he doesn’t recognise some figures in independent forecast that projects £51bn shortfall in public finances UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has sought to play down warnings that the government will be forced to raise taxes this autumn and said some of the figures being circulated “are not ones I recognise”.The prime minister was responding to forecasts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), which projected a shortfall of up to £51bn in the public finances, given a number of factors had knocked the chancellor’s plans to stay within Whitehall spending limits, including higher debt interest payments and U-turns on welfare spending cuts. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Keir Starmer plays down warnings that taxes will have to be raised in autumn

PM says he doesn’t recognise some figures in independent forecast that projects £51bn shortfall in public financesKeir Starmer has sought to play down warnings that the government will be forced to raise taxes this autumn and said some of the figures being circulated “are not ones I recognise”.The prime minister was responding to forecasts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), which projected a shortfall of up to £51bn in the public finances, given a number of factors had knocked the chancellor’s plans to stay within Whitehall spending limits, including higher debt interest payments and U-turns on welfare spending cuts. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Voices: ‘The whole tax system needs radical reform’: Readers weigh in on Reeves’ fiscal trilemma

Our community is split on how Rachel Reeves should resolve her fiscal trilemma, with readers divided between raising taxes, cutting spending, relaxing borrowing rules or boosting growth through closer EU ties

Politics