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Budget 2025: Key announcements at a glance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her second Budget, unveiling a wide-ranging package of tax, spending and regulatory measures shaped by weeks of leaks — and an accidental early publication of the OBR’s official forecasts. Here is a comprehensive overview of the main changes affecting households, businesses and the wider economy. Personal taxation Reeves confirmed that income tax and National Insurance thresholds will be frozen until 2031, extending the existing freeze by an additional three years....

Reeves unveils £30bn tax rise as Budget leaves millions worse off and middle earners hit hardest

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered a bruising second Budget, confirming more than £30 billion in tax rises and abandoning earlier assurances that “working people” would be shielded from higher taxes. Instead, she told MPs she was asking “everyone to contribute”, with most households now set to be worse off and middle-income families bearing the brunt. While welfare payments, pensions and minimum wages will rise, a broad package of tax increases — combined with frozen thresholds...

US envoy gave Russian aide tips on how to sell Ukraine deal to Trump: report

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff gave a senior Kremlin official tips on how to sell a Ukraine peace deal to President Donald Trump, a report said. Witkoff spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov on Oct. 14, advising him on how Putin should bring up the topic with the U.S. president, according to Bloomberg. ‘We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace, and...

Reeves condemns early release of OBR report as ‘deeply disappointing’ as experts call for investigation

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has described the accidental early publication of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s report as “deeply disappointing”, after the market-sensitive document appeared online ahead of her Budget statement. Opening her remarks in the Commons, Reeves said the OBR had already taken “full responsibility” for the error. She stressed the government’s progress over the past 16 months in “rebuilding the economy”, citing new trade agreements and reforms to fiscal rules. The OBR, while independent,...

Business leaders urge Reeves to resign ‘like Hugh Dalton’ after Budget leaks: ‘More leaks than the Titanic’

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing mounting calls to resign from frustrated business owners after a series of leaks ahead of this week’s Budget – drawing comparisons with Labour Chancellor Hugh Dalton, who quit in 1947 after briefing a journalist moments before delivering his statement. The criticism intensified after the Office for Budget Responsibility accidentally published its full economic forecast online hours before Reeves’ speech. The OBR has apologised, but the premature release revealed that GDP...

EV drivers to face new pay-per-mile tax from 2028, Reeves confirms in Budget

Electric vehicle owners will be required to pay a new 3p-per-mile tax from 2028, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed today in the Autumn Budget — marking the UK’s first dedicated mileage charge for zero-emission cars. The measure is designed to offset the sharp decline in fuel duty revenue, which has fallen year-on-year as more motorists switch from petrol and diesel to electric alternatives. The Treasury argues that long-term changes are needed to protect public finances as...

FBI nabs Florida man with alleged plan to livestream neo-Nazi terror attack; graphic Signal messages recovered

A Florida man was arrested after an FBI investigation linked him to multiple extremist group chats on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where agents claim he used aliases to share disturbing graphic messages, detailed instructions for explosives and violent neo-Nazi propaganda. Lucas Alexander Temple, 20, is facing federal charges for distribution of information regarding the manufacturing or use of explosives and possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, according to court documents. According to criminal complaints,...

How to Check Your Website Traffic Without Google Analytics

Monitoring website traffic is crucial to knowing the interaction of your audience with the content, spotting the areas where you can grow, and making the necessary improvements. Google Analytics has been the main tool of choice for website analysis and monitoring for many years, but it is not the only available option. Let’s learn what other ways you can use to track your data. Why Look Beyond Google Analytics? Google Analytics provides comprehensive insights, but...

Republicans try to quash concerns of more exits following Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation from Congress stunned House Republicans and sets up an even tighter majority in the lower chamber that could foil major legislative priorities. Whether it triggers a ripple effect of Republican lawmakers following her lead remains to be seen. Still, there are members of the House GOP who are frustrated by how events have unfolded in recent months, especially after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., opted to keep the House...

Trump jokes that Biden turkey pardon in 2024 ‘invalid’ due to autopen

President Donald Trump pardoned a pair of turkeys at the White House on Tuesday, going on to joke that former President Joe Biden’s turkey pardons last year were ‘null and void’ because he used an autopen. Trump made the joke while carrying out the decades-long White House Thanksgiving tradition, this year pardoning ‘Gobble’ and ‘Waddle.’ The crowd laughed as Trump said he saved last year’s turkeys, ‘Peach’ and ‘Blossom’ from being carved up after the...