Based on the latest Budget news, some policy costs will come off energy bills next year. But why are they so high to begin with? Martin Lewis welcomed Octopus CEO Greg last night to answer your questions.
Budgets are sold as moments of collective responsibility. Ministers tell us that everyone must tighten their belts, pay higher duties, and accept frozen tax thresholds to close the fiscal gap.
Budgets are often sold as moments of fairness. Ministers insist that everyone must contribute, that the burden is shared.
The government has announced that, from April 2028, it plans to introduce a new High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS) on owners of residential property in England worth £2 million or more. A public consultation on details relating to the surcharge will be held in early 2026.
Nuclear Restoration Services Dounreay's Kate Thomson has won Modern Apprentice of the Year at the Highlands & Islands Apprenticeship Awards in Inverness. Kate, who is in the second year of her apprenticeship in commercial and quantity surveying, said she was thrilled by the honour.
In walking the political tightrope of her own budget this week, Rachel Reeves had to broadly satisfy three critical audiences. There were her own MPs in the parliamentary Labour party, business and financial markets and, of course, voters who ultimately determine whether the Labour government is re-elected three or four years from now.
Budgets are often judged by what they give and what they take away. In the November 2025 Budget, one of the most striking examples of this double act was the change to Air Passenger Duty (APD).
Recent changes to the UK's Winter Fuel Payment—also known as the heating allowance—have created one of the most significant shifts in pensioner benefits for decades. The introduction of a means-test, combined with frozen tax thresholds and rising pension income, is reshaping who receives support and who is pulled into the tax system.
The term "stealth tax" refers to tax increases or charges that aren't obvious as they don't come from raising headline rates, but from policy changes, threshold freezes, revaluations or structural tweaks that quietly push up what people/businesses pay. Essentially, the government doesn't announce a big "tax rise" instead, costs rise because valuations, thresholds or reliefs shift, so people/businesses feel the pain even if the "official tax rate" stays the same.
Few phrases in economic debate capture public attention as vividly as the idea of a "black hole" in government finances. It conjures images of money vanishing into a void, of a state teetering on the brink of insolvency.
Budgets are a little like Christmas stockings. At first glance, they're filled with treats and a few welcome surprises, a sense of generosity, and the promise of relief.
Regional economic partnerships can further boost local economies and support jobs across Scotland, First Minister John Swinney has said. In a speech to the Glasgow State of the City Economy Conference, the First Minister outlined proposed legislation - to be introduced in the next Parliament subject to the election outcome – that would help regional partnerships to unlock new powers and deliver on local priorities.
The November 2025 Budget left many families feeling squeezed. Frozen tax thresholds, rising duties, and stealth levies mean disposable income is under pressure.
Economic commentary often thrives on vivid metaphors and few are as unsettling as the idea of a "doom loop" a vicious cycle in which one weakness feeds another, trapping a system in decline. In recent months, this phrase has been applied to the UK economy, raising the question is Britain sliding into such a spiral, or is the rhetoric running ahead of reality?.
Every government faces the same dilemma: how to balance the books without losing the public's goodwill. The classic solution is as old as parliamentary politics itself — take the pain early, then offer relief later.
Running live today 29th November 2025 and tomorrow Founding a new political party is not easy but its underway. Two days of debate, discussion and voting on Your Party's founding documents.
Rachel Reeves' Budget was a damp squib, delivering austerity by stealth. There was no vision, and no investment.
Budgets are written in Westminster, but their impact is felt at the kitchen table. The November 2025 Budget brought relief in some areas such as lower energy bills, expanded free school meals, and benefit uplifts.
EMPLOYERS and educators from across the Highlands have gathered to hear how a new initiative is aiming to transform the region's economy. Workforce North - A Call to Action brought together business leaders and teachers from primary and secondary schools from across the Highland Council area with a wide range of partners geared towards education, learning and skills development at Strathpeffer Pavillion.
m Many of the parallels drawn in Civilisations: Rise and Fall especially in its "Rome / decline" episode echo strongly with what we see today in the United Kingdom regarding wealth concentration. Analysts are indeed warning those parallels aren't just symbolic and they carry real social risk.