Organisation

Office for Budget Responsibility

UK public finances watchdog

OBR warns Labour's workers' rights overhaul will have 'negative economic impact'

Fiscal watchdog says costs to business outweigh productivity gains as Employment Rights Act changes begin to roll out

Britain's fiscal watchdog has warned that Labour's overhaul of workers' rights will have a “negative economic impact”, saying the cost to businesses will far outstrip any boost to workers' productivity.

28 Oct 2026

US Politics

Healey’s budget keeps UK income tax thresholds frozen: what it means for your tax bill

Chancellor John Healey’s first budget left UK income tax thresholds frozen for another year, extending a policy that the Office for Budget Responsibility says will push the share of taxpayers paying higher or additional rates from 15% in 2021-22 to 24% in 2030-31.

today

World

‘No more fat to trim’: UK families gauge Healey’s first budget

As Chancellor John Healey applies the finishing touches to his first Budget, families across England describe a relentless cost of living squeeze. Dawn Fazackerley-King, a self-employed Pilates instructor in Ipswich, faces her mortgage rate jumping from 1.4% to around 5.3%, adding an estimated £250 to her monthly outgoings. ‘There’s just no more fat to trim,’ she told the BBC.

3 days ago