The UK economy is at risk of a “material hit” as former US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policy threatens to destabilise global trade and trigger a fresh wave of recession fears, according to a stark new forecast by KPMG. The Big Four consultancy has downgraded the UK’s growth forecast for 2025 to just 0.8 per cent – nearly halving ...
Companies House has collected just £1,250 in fines despite being handed new powers to tackle fraud and corporate abuse, prompting concern from MPs over the UK’s commitment to cracking down on economic crime. The agency, which maintains the official register of companies in the UK, was granted new enforcement powers last autumn as part of long-awaited reforms designed to prevent ...
From today, businesses operating online must stop using hidden fees and fake reviews, under sweeping new consumer protection laws that aim to save UK shoppers billions and boost confidence in digital marketplaces. The reforms – introduced as part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 – target so-called “sneaky” or “dripped” fees, which are estimated to cost consumers ...
One in four UK adults say they have been duped by ticket scams for high-demand events, losing an average of £82 each, according to new research from Nationwide Building Society. The warning comes just ahead of the highly anticipated resale of Glastonbury Festival tickets. With thousands of fans set to scramble for a limited number of cancelled or returned tickets, ...
UK house prices recorded their sharpest monthly fall in a year as the housing market cooled following a rush of buyers trying to beat changes to stamp duty thresholds in England and Northern Ireland. According to Halifax, the average price of a home fell by 0.5% in March to £296,699 – marking the largest monthly drop since March 2023. This ...
Lloyds Bank is under renewed scrutiny after former clients and whistleblowers accused it of failing small businesses in the years following the 2008 financial crash, despite receiving a £20 billion taxpayer bailout designed to keep credit flowing to SMEs. A joint investigation by the BBC and Panorama has heard allegations that Lloyds deliberately scaled back lending and wrongly categorised viable ...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, with Washington’s recently imposed global tariffs set to be part of their talks. ‘This meeting comes at a critical moment on many key issues: the efforts to return our hostages being held by Hamas, the instability in Syria and the threats posed ...
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is not willing to make a deal with China unless the trade deficit of over $1 trillion is resolved first. While speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said with some countries there is a trade deficit of over a billion dollars, but with China, it is over $1 trillion. ‘We have ...
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a relaxation of key green policies in a bid to shield the UK automotive industry from the impact of President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on car exports to the United States. Delivering his first formal response to the tariffs during a visit to the West Midlands, Starmer will say that British industry must ...
White House Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett doubled down on the effectiveness of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Sunday, saying dozens of countries are now seeking to open negotiations and U.S. manufacturing is booming. Hassett made the claim during an appearance on ABC News’ ‘This Week’ with host George Stephanopoulos. He said that over 50 countries have already said they ...