News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

Barratt Redrow warns budget uncertainties heighten risks

Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Redrow said today that uncertainties from the UK's upcoming November 26 budget have added to sales risks for fiscal 2026 in a market already weighed by weak buyer confidence.

Business • 17 Sep

Currys said today that trading since the end of its first half has been consistent with the board's expectations

Currys warns price rises inevitable after UK budget

Electricals retailer Currys has today added its voice to a chorus of corporate criticism of the new UK government's tax rises, saying price rises were inevitable, but it kept its forecast for annual profit growth.

Business • 12 Dec 24

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week

Reeves faces heat for weak growth after first budget

Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves faced criticism today after her first budget came in big on spending, tax increases and borrowing but small on economic growth, which was one of the big election promises of the Labour Party.

Business • 31 Oct 24

Key measures in UK Labour Party's budget in 15 years

British finance minister Rachel Reeves presented her first budget statement to parliament today, announcing a series of tax rises and changes to the government's fiscal rules to allow for more borrowing to boost investment.

Business • 30 Oct 24

Rachel Reeves, UK chancellor of the exchequer, outside 11 Downing Street today

UK's Reeves announces biggest tax hikes in three decades

Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves announced the biggest tax increases in three decades in her first budget, as she accused the Conservatives of leaving public services broken when they lost July's election after 14 years in power.

Business • 30 Oct 24

NatWest has reported pretax operating profit for the July-September period of £1.7 billion, up from £1.3 billion a year earlier

NatWest lifts performance forecasts as Q3 profit up 26%

NatWest has today reported a 26% rise in third-quarter profit and raised its outlook for 2024, as it expanded lending while maintaining margins in the face of falling central bank interest rates and a murky economic outlook.

Business • 25 Oct 24

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves is to present her first budgt later this month

UK borrowing tops forecasts again as Reeves eyes budget

British public borrowing in the first six months of the tax year came in higher than official forecasts, data showed today, underscoring the challenge facing finance minister Rachel Reeves in her first budget next week.

Business • 22 Oct 24

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves speaking at today's Labour party conference in Liverpool

UK's Reeves vows no austerity despite tough budget

British finance minister Rachel Reeves has ruled out a "return to austerity", trying to brighten the gloomy tone her party has adopted since its landslide election victory in July.

Business • 23 Sep 24

British Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has faced pressure from Tory MPs to ease the record-high tax burden in the UK

UK economy to grow in 2024 after recession - Hunt

The UK economy is forecast to grow by 0.8% this year after entering a recession in the second half of 2023, finance minister Jeremy Hunt said today in possibly his last fiscal statement before an election expected this year.

UK • 06 Mar 24

Hunt to keep tight UK budget with eye on 2024 election

British finance minister Jeremy Hunt looks set to keep his grip on the public finances in next week's budget, refraining from big tax cuts or spending increases until the next election comes closer into view.

Business • 08 Mar 23

Sterling rose today to trade up 0.4% against the US dollar to $1.1914, not far from three-month high touched earlier this week

Sterling rises after partial recovery in retail sales

Sterling rose today after better-than-expected retail sales for Britain a day after finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced tax rises and spending cuts in an effort to reassure markets that the government was serious about fighting inflation.

Business • 18 Nov 22

Nationwide Building Society is the UK's second biggest provider of home loans

Nationwide warns of rising bad loans as outlook sours

The UK's Nationwide Building Society said bad loans are likely to rise as pressure on household finances squeezes its customers, even as it reported profits ticking up from rising interest rates.

Business • 18 Nov 22

Sterling has regained around 16% in value against the dollar and is trading around its highest in three months

Sterling, UK bond prices dip as Hunt gives tough budget

Sterling and UK government bond prices fell today after British finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced a string of tax increases and tighter public spending in a tough budget plan.

Business • 17 Nov 22

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulates Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt after he delivered his autumn statement to MPs in the House of Commons

UK budget will lead to 'shallower downturn' - Hunt

Britain has unveiled an austerity budget with £55 billion of tax hikes and spending cuts, despite confirming its economy is in recession.

Business • 17 Nov 22

Sterling, which has lost over 12% in value against the dollar this year, has risen 3% so far in November

Sterling hits highest level in almost three months

The pound rose to its highest in almost three months against the US dollar today ahead of the UK government's budget this week, largely as the greenback came under fire.

Business • 15 Nov 22

Liz Truss made a statement in Downing Street this afternoon confirming the U-turn

Truss U-turns on corporation tax after sacking Kwarteng

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has sacked her chancellor and scrapped parts of their economic package in a bid to stay in power and survive the market and political turmoil gripping the country.

Business • 14 Oct 22

Kwasi Kwarteng is under pressure to rebuild shattered investor confidence in the new UK government's economic agenda

UK's Kwarteng brings budget date forward

British finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng, under pressure to rebuild shattered investor confidence in the new government's economic agenda, today brought forward the publication of fiscal plans and economic forecasts to October 31.

Business • 10 Oct 22

UK finance minister Rishi Sunak today announced forecasts drawn up by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR)

UK economy on course to grow by 6.5% in 2021 - Sunak

Britain's economy is on course to grow much more quickly in 2021 than predicted earlier this year, finance minister Rishi Sunak said as he began a budget speech today.

Business • 27 Oct 21

Like all budgets its a balancing act between giving and taking

Give and take - the UK budget

The British budget tries to overcome the damage to the economy caused by Covid-19 – and to a lesser extent by Brexit.

Business • 03 Mar 21

The UK's new finance minister Rishi Sunak has promised to protect the economy from the threat of the coronavirus

UK pledges 'whatever it takes' to protect economy

New British finance minister Rishi Sunak announced a spending splurge to ward off the economic effects of coronavirus in his maiden budget today.

Business • 11 Mar 20

New UK finance minister Rishi Sunak has ordered an additional set of economic forecasts

UK finance minister orders new economic forecasts

British finance minister Rishi Sunak has ordered an additional set of economic forecasts to be produced by the country's independent budget forecaster.

Business • 27 Feb 20

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond delivered his first Budget today

UK faces tougher Brexit challenge after 2017 resilience

The UK economy is likely to feel the impact of the Brexit vote in the coming years after an initial period of resilience, finance minister Philip Hammond said today.

Business • 08 Mar 17

George Osborne unveils his 8th budget in the Commons today

Britain cuts growth outlook in annual budget

British Chancellor George Osborne has said the UK economy was growing faster than in any other major advanced country in the world and was "on course for a budget surplus".

Business • 16 Mar 16

UK Finance Minister says Britain still spends too much and borrows too much

UK budget for the 'working people' - Osborne

British Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to create a "higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare" Britain as he unveiled the first Tory-only Budget for nearly 20 years.

Business • 08 Jul 15

UK finance minister George Osborne raises economic growth figures

Britain increases growth forecasts for 2015

Britain raised its official growth forecasts slightly as finance minister George Osborne unveiled the final Budget before the 7 May general election.

Business • 18 Mar 15

Uk Budget