Rachel Reeves
This coverage analyses Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal policies and their implications for the UK retail sector. Reporting focuses on tax reforms, business rates adjustments, labour cost policies, and trade measures affecting retail operations and strategy. Retail executives, finance managers, and policy specialists can use these insights to understand how government decisions shape the retail business environment and inform strategic planning.
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Nov- 2025 -28 NovemberEconomy
Half of Britons say Budget leaves them worse off, YouGov finds
Britons view the 2025 Budget as unfair and unaffordable, with only a small minority believing the measures will leave the country or their own finances better off, according to new YouGov polling. Half of those polled say the measures will leave the country worse off, with 50% saying the same…
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27 NovemberEconomy
Budget reaction: Retail split as business rates and import rules shift
The retail industry has labelled the Autumn Budget as a “mixed bag” for retail, offering relief for many shops, but bringing in new costs for others Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour’s first Autumn Statement, outlining permanent business rates reductions for 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure businesses and confirming new customs…
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26 NovemberEconomy
BUDGET: Income tax bands frozen, minimum wage to increase, NI-exempt pension threshold scrapped
Income tax and NI thresholds will be frozen while the minimum wage will rise by 50p from April 2026, the chancellor Rachel Reeves said in her Autumn Budget statement today. Reeves announced a series of tax changes in other areas, including salary-sacrificed NI contributions on pensions, as part of measures to…
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13 NovemberEconomy
UK economy slows to 0.1% in third quarter
The UK’s economic growth slowed to 0.1% in the third quarter, falling short of expectations from City analysts and the Bank of England (BoE). The Office for National Statistics said monthly output slipped 0.1% in September, with earlier figures for July and August revised down. The data arrives ahead of…
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6 NovemberEconomy
BoE holds interest rates at 4% ahead of Budget
The Bank of England (BoE) has voted to keep interest rates steady at 4% ahead of the upcoming Budget announcement on 26 November. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of five to four to maintain the rate, with four members voting to reduce it by 0.25…
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4 NovemberLuxury Goods
Mulberry boss calls on govt to scrap tourist tax
Mulberry CEO Andrea Baldo has called on the government to consider scrapping the tourist tax as it looks to increase growth in the economy. Baldo told The Telegraph that reintroducing tax-free shopping for tourists would “be beneficial for the economy”. He also believes that it would help luxury manufacturers such…
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Oct- 2025 -27 OctoberSupermarkets
Supermarkets urge chancellor to drop new rates surtax
Nine of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains have called on chancellor Rachel Reeves to exclude large retail stores from the government’s proposed business rates surtax, warning it would add pressure to food prices. The letter, organised by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), was signed by the heads of Aldi, Asda, Iceland,…
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22 OctoberFeatures
The Cotswold Company: when success spurs a sale
When a private equity firm begins preparing to sell a company performing at its peak, it can seem counterintuitive. Yet reports that True, the private equity owner of The Cotswold Company, has appointed Arrowpoint Advisory to explore a potential sale suggest a strategic play. It’s one that reveals as much…
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21 OctoberSupermarkets
M&S chief urges chancellor to reconsider tax policy ahead of Budget
Marks and Spencer chief executive Stuart Machin has urged chancellor Rachel Reeves to “change course” on economic policy ahead of next month’s Budget, warning that persistent tax rises risk trapping the UK in a “doom loop” of weak growth. Writing in The Times, Machin described the government’s fiscal approach as…
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2 OctoberHigh Street
Reeves set to scale back business rates plans for large retailers
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly planning to scale back plans to raise business rates on big retailers after warnings it could push up food prices, according to the Financial Times. The news comes after the Treasury had planned to put properties worth more than £500,000 into the highest tax band…
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