Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Economists have warned the government it faces a number of difficult choices in the upcoming Budget, with Rachel Reeves already indicatingContinue Reading
Analysis: Reeves refuses to rule out breaking manifesto pledges on tax The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports: The chancellor today refused to rule out breaking her manifesto pledges on tax – to not raise VAT, national insurance or income tax. She was repeating what the prime minister did atContinue Reading
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OpenAI has signed a landmark $38 billion agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to secure the immense computing power required to train and deploy its next generation of artificial intelligence systems — marking one of the biggest technology infrastructure deals ever struck. The partnership, announced this week, will give theContinue Reading
Nearly half of Britain’s shop workers are abused or attacked every week, according to new research exposing the human toll of the UK’s worsening retail crime crisis. The Retail Trust, which supports wellbeing across the retail sector, found that 43 per cent of shop floor employees had faced verbal orContinue Reading
British households have reined in spending on gyms, streaming subscriptions and gaming over the past year, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to reshape consumer habits. New data from MoneySuperMarket’s Household Money Index, which tracks the income and spending patterns of 8,000 consumers across 31 categories, shows steep declines in discretionaryContinue Reading
Artificial intelligence is fast becoming Britain’s most popular financial adviser, with more than half of adults now using platforms such as ChatGPT to help them make decisions about money, according to new research commissioned by Lloyds Banking Group. The study found that 56 per cent of UK adults — equivalentContinue Reading
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned that Britain’s smallest exporters are being “left behind” as larger firms benefit from new trade agreements, calling for urgent government action to help smaller businesses expand overseas. According to the BCC’s latest Quarterly Trade Confidence Report, only 16 per cent of microContinue Reading
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has launched a stinging attack on Chancellor Rachel Reeves, claiming her tax policies are “dooming” Britain’s economy, even as his budget airline posted record half-year profits fuelled by rising ticket prices and surging passenger numbers. Speaking at the airline’s results presentation, O’Leary accused the Labour governmentContinue Reading
HSBC has become the first major UK lender since the financial crisis to offer homebuyers loans worth up to 6.5 times their salary, in a move signalling the loosening of mortgage lending rules across the banking sector. The new deal, launched this week for HSBC Premier account holders, raises theContinue Reading
