18 m. ago Voices: Labour can’t hit ‘working people’, so now they’re after people who used to work

Whatever weasel words they may use to justify any changes to inheritance tax, the message is clear: you’re better off not making money under Labour, because they will get you in the long run, writes Chris Blackhurst

Events

4 h. ago Inheritance tax and the rise of ‘giving while living’: Smart ways to pass on wealth tax

With rule changes and frozen thresholds, more people are exploring financial gifting in their lifetime

Economics

6 h. ago Keir Starmer ‘plans rise in inheritance tax’ to ease debt crisis

Critics see inheritance tax, charged on estates valued at more than £325,000, as being a wealth tax in all but name

Economics

25 h. ago More than 50,000 migrants have crossed Channel since Keir Starmer became PM: Asylum seeker reaches Britain's shores every 11 minutes... but minister still insists it's 'not our fault'

The milestone underscores the failure of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer 's 'smash the gangs' strategy - with one migrant crossing every 11 minutes.

Politics

28 h. ago Migrant channel crossings will hit a record 50,000 since Labour took office...but 'it's not our fault' says minister

The milestone underscores the failure of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer 's 'smash the gangs' strategy - with one migrant crossing every 11 minutes.

Politics

3 d. ago Rightwingers warn of another blaze of summer riots in Britain – but they’re the ones striking the match | John Harris

Grim predictions of ‘societal collapse’ and ‘civil war’ will hit home so long as Labour fails to address the country’s problemsA last stretch of this strange, uneasy summer remains. Between now and September, there could conceivably be further outbreaks of the kind of violence that rightwing politicians and their media allies have been frantically predicting. But for now, behold a fascinating spectacle: a country quietly refusing to chaotically combust, despite being endlessly encouraged to do so.One word in particular symbolises the gap between hyped-up rhetoric and everyday reality. “Tinderbox” was first used in the mid-16th century, to describe a crude instrument for starting fires: a container that carried a piece of either flint or steel, and a pocketful of the dry, flammable material that gave the device its name. With the invention of matches, the use of such implements fell away, and the word began its passage to how it is used today: as political shorthand for any situation...

Events

5 d. ago BoE economist: Interest rates may not fall as much as forecast as prices rise

Interest rates may not fall as quickly or as steeply as expected, Bank of England economist Huw Pill has warned on amid signs of resurgent inflation.

Economics

5 d. ago This country won the battle against its maternal deaths crisis. Trump’s aid cuts could ruin all that

Twenty years ago, a shake-up of Ethiopia’s abortion law led the maternal mortality rate to dramatically fall. Doctors tell Rachel Schraer that progress could be about to go into reverse because of US funding cuts.

Events

5 d. ago Scottish Secretary Ian Murray gives wealth tax verdict as deputy prime minister Angela Rayner pushes for move

The Scottish Secretary said a tax on the highest income earners would lead to ‘flight’ of wealthier people abroad.

Politics

5 d. ago Thousands of Brits given £346 off mortgage repayments immediately

A cut in interest rates will mean the 590,000 people with a base-rate tracker mortgage will see borrowing costs fall from tomorrow, August 8. That could equate to £346 annually

Economics

7 d. ago Voices: Rachel Reeves must learn a hard lesson from Labour history – wealth taxes simply don’t work

Taxing unearned income is no way for the chancellor to plug her £41bn spending black hole – the better-off are best placed to find a way around paying it, says Chris Blackhurst

Economics

7 d. 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

7 d. ago Which tax rises could the government introduce to fill the £41bn black hole in Britain’s finances?

Labour’s pledge not to raise taxes on ‘working people’ leaves the chancellor with a limited number of workable options to fill a massive black hole in the public finances

Economics

7 d. ago Something has to give, chancellor – and that something is income tax

Editorial: Rachel Reeves must use her autumn Budget to set aside manifesto commitments and put the public finances on a more sustainable footing. The most reliable and economically sound way is the most straightforward – and the most politically difficult

Politics

3 w. ago Claire's Accessories UK: ear piercing chain faces uncertain future as firm eyes store closures and jobs cuts

Shoppers could soon say goodbye to their go-to sparkle spot as big changes loom ✨

Society

3 w. ago Labour wealth tax war rages amid claims Reeves will reject calls for charge on assets

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is desperately hunting for options as she faces an estimated £30billion black hole in the public finances at the Autumn Budget .

Economics

3 w. ago Ministers face £5bn Nuked Blood bill as they refuse to reveal evidence

Ministers have refused to tell Parliament what evidence they have found about human radiation experiments on troops. The Nuked Blood Scandal threatens to land the MoD with a potential £5bn lawsuit

Politics

3 w. ago Minister pressures water boss to refuse rise doubling salary to £1.4m amid furious row over exec pay and sewage leaks

Steve Reed told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that Lawrence Gosden's £691,000 salary increase was 'outrageous' and implored the company to 'think about how this looks to their customers'.

Economics

3 w. ago Middle class families could be hit with soaring water bills under Labour's new plan to subside the costs for Britain's poorest households

The proposed national social tariff is due to be presented to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a review of the water industry on Monday.

Society

3 w. ago City council REFUSES proposal to build a memorial statue to the late former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in his hometown

A proposed memorial statue of former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in his adopted home city of Hull has been rejected.

Politics