67 m. ago Whatever happens to Rachel Reeves, this was a bad Budget for Scotland

From the lack of help for North Sea oil and gas and Scotch whisky to a new charge on electric vehicles, the Budget saw measures that will hit Scotland hard

Politics

3 h. ago UK flight tax reaches record high after Rachel Reeves budget

In Rachel Reeves ' budget last week, she announced that Air Passenger Duty would rise with inflation in 2027.

Economics

3 h. ago Rachel Reeves given important backing after claims she 'lied' to public ahead of Budget

A top official from the Office for Budget Responsibility has agreed Chancellor Rachel Reeves was faced with having to make "very difficult choices"

Politics

4 h. ago Mass killings in 2025 reached a record low for first time in nearly 20 years

The 2025 numbers, while historically good, do not signify that the problem has vanished

Events

5 h. ago HMRC confirms tax changes coming into force for Brits from exact date

Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled £26 billion a year of tax rises and HMRC has confirmed timeframes for some of the key policies

Economics

5 h. ago Labour warned of fresh economic hit as Brexit accelerates high

‘None’ of the Labour chancellor’s measures will ‘have a material effect’ on growth, Richard Hughes, the chair of the OBR, has said.

Events

6 h. ago Budget crisis engulfs Rachel Reeves as OBR watchdog slams Treasury briefings

The leading economists also predict that interest rates will fall from 4% to 3.5% by the second quarter of 2026

Events

6 h. ago Budget crisis grows for Rachel Reeves as watchdog slams briefings

The leading economists also predict that interest rates will fall from 4% to 3.5% by the second quarter of 2026

Events

8 h. ago Reeves tax rises to hit UK economic growth, warns OECD as Cabinet meets after Budget bust

The leading economists also predict that interest rates will fall from 4% to 3.5% by the second quarter of 2026

Events

9 h. ago UK growth facing headwinds from tax hikes and spending cuts – OECD

The OECD said growth will slow to 1.2% next year, before edging up to 1.3% in 2027, with ‘substantial’ downside risks from fiscal tightening.

Economics

9 h. ago Chancellor ruling out another independence vote does not carry weight – Flynn

The SNP MP claimed Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will both be ousted if the SNP wins next year.

Politics

9 h. ago House prices rise in November despite Budget uncertainty, says Nationwide

It follows on from last week's Budget in which Rachel Reeves announced tax hikes on landlords and owners of expensive homes.

Economics

10 h. ago UK Government was ‘digging its own black hole’ before Budget, says Flynn

The Chancellor has been accused of misleading the public ahead of the Budget.

Politics

12 h. ago It’s under fire from left and right – but Labour’s workers' rights bill is a huge achievement | Polly Toynbee

It makes no sense for union leaders to cry betrayal when it will be their members who benefit from these sorely needed reformsThe wall of sound shouting “liar” at the chancellor is a bizarre Westminster frenzy. Stand back from the hysteria and ask this question: how can Rachel Reeves be accused of raising more money than necessary when there is still pitifully little to go round in every department at her cabinet table? It’s a weird Tory ramp that she lied about a black hole when we can see it everywhere in the real world. She could have raised more.As the prime minister, Keir Starmer, pleads the case for all that was Labour-flavoured in the budget, the week also brought a breakthrough for Labour’s flagship employment rights bill. Shamelessly stymied by the Lords’ Tory majority, the government watered down a clause on so-called day-one rights that would have given workers protection from unfair dismissal from the day they walked into a job. That legal right will now kick in at six m...

Economics

13 h. ago As Rachel Reeves battles to survive, Labour needs to stop the self

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has further damaged Labour’s credibility by making an avoidable mistake

Events

13 h. ago The most misleading thing about Rachel Reeves’s budget? Who it was really for | Aditya Chakrabortty

Labour backbenchers have been cheering it as a win for the most vulnerable in socety. In fact it was aimed at the bond marketsThe charge is a grave one: that Rachel Reeves has just lied to Britons, spooking them into paying billions in extra taxes that she can splash out on higher benefits. However hyperbolic, this isn’t the usual Westminster sparring; this time, someone might get hurt. A week ago, critics of Reeves and Keir Starmer were, rightly, calling their budget “chaotic”. Today, it’s denounced as lies, and Kemi Badenoch is demanding the chancellor quit. It’s an accusation that demands straightforward answers, so let me give mine. Did the chancellor tell lies? On the available evidence, no. There were no whoppers, no falsehoods, no porkies. But despite Starmer’s comments yesterday, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see here and we can all move along. Reeves did mislead the public about the factors shaping her decisions. Was it all to funnel cash to “benefits street”, as the...

Politics

18 h. ago Turmoil in markets blamed on Rachel Reeves putting out mixed messages over tax rises

Bond markets swung wildly in the weeks leading up to the Budget amid speculation over the state of the public finances and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' plans.

Economics

18 h. ago Reeves blamed as private sector shrinks at fastest pace since pandemic amid pre

Rachel Reeves has been blamed for leaving firms in 'limbo' amid intense pre-Budget speculation as private sector activity slumped at the fastest pace since the pandemic.

Events

23 h. ago Rachel Reeves accused of trying to 'manipulate' the bond markets after wild swings ahead of Budget

Rachel Reeves has been accused of trying to 'manipulate' the bond markets in the build up to the Budget.

Economics

23 h. ago OBR chair quits after inquiry into early release of budget document

Richard Hughes takes ‘full responsibility’ for watchdog error as Starmer attempts to secure chancellor’s positionThe chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility has resigned after a damning internal inquiry into the leak that threw Rachel Reeves’s budget into chaos described it as the “worst failure” in the institution’s history.The departure of Richard Hughes, who said he took “full responsibility” for the watchdog’s failure to handle sensitive information, dragged the rolling recriminations over the budget into a fifth day. Continue reading...

Economics