Author: INDEPENDENT

Treasury accused of giving ‘deliberately false and misleading’ pre-Budget briefings

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsRachel Reeves defended her recent Budget as “fair and necessary”, saying more of the economic “burden” of her decisions should fall on the wealthy.In an interview with The Guardian, she said she had made choices to increase taxes and improve public infrastructure, and had “chosen to protect public spending”.“I wasn’t willing to cut public services, because people voted for change at the election,” she said.Ahead of the Budget,…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsMinisters have abandoned plans to give workers day-one protection against unfair dismissal in a bid to ensure the Employment Rights Bill makes it through Parliament.The Government now intends to introduce the right after six months of service instead – down from the current qualifying period of 24 months – in a U-turn that breaches Labour’s manifesto.The legislation has been caught in a stand-off between peers and MPs over…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsRachel Reeves will face further questions after delivering a Budget that raised tax by £26 billion but was overshadowed by an unprecedented leak.The Chancellor’s decisions put Britain on course for a record tax burden as she hiked levies after weaker economic forecasts left holes in her previous spending plans.The increases are also needed to pay for increased welfare spending, with Ms Reeves announcing the abolition of the two-child…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsPre-packaged milkshakes and lattes are set to be included in the existing sugar tax, the Health Secretary has confirmed. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Wes Streeting announced the government’s intention to remove the current exemption for milk-based beverages from the levy on sugary drinks. This expansion will target pre-packaged milkshakes and coffees, though drinks prepared fresh in cafes and restaurants will remain unaffected. Mr Streeting emphasised the…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA new survey has revealed that a significant proportion of businesses are deterred from offering work experience placements to school pupils due to time constraints and staffing challenges. Two in five (41 per cent) of companies that do not provide such opportunities cited the process as too time-consuming.The research, conducted by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), found that a third of senior business leaders not offering placements…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsChancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her Budget on Wednesday against a backdrop of rising unemployment and higher-than-forecast Government borrowing, but amid signs this year’s spike in inflation may have peaked.Here, the PA news agency looks at five key economic indicators that are likely to shape both the content and the tone of Ms Reeves’ speech.– BorrowingGovernment borrowing for the current financial year is running at a higher level…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsNext week, the Chancellor will reveal the Government’s latest set of tax and spending policies as she also outlines her ambitions for the economy under the Labour Government.The state of the economy is the key focal point ahead of the Budget, amid criticism from industry over the impact of the Government’s first Budget last year.The state’s official forecaster will also lay out its key projections over how the…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe FTSE 100 ended in the green on Friday, outperforming European peers, despite downbeat economic news ahead of next week’s Budget.The index closed up 12.06 points, 0.1%, at 9,539.71.The FTSE 250 ended 20.98 points lower, 0.1%, at 21,363.37, while the AIM All-Share fell 5.56 points, 0.8%, to 735.64.For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 1.6%, the FTSE 250 fell 2.1%, and the AIM All-Share declined 1.4%.Figures showed…

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture emailGet the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter “Queen of Versailles” Jackie Siegel has shared her kids’ hilarious response to seeing the new musical based on their mom’s life.The Queen of Versailles — which shares a name with the 2012 documentary that followed Siegel’s life as she and her late husband, Westgate timeshare magnate David Siegel, set out to build a 90,000 square-foot mansion in Florida — opened November 9 at New York City’s St…