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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to be handed a multibillion-pound boost by official forecasters next week, paving the way for a package of pre-election tax cuts. Leading economists predict that lower UK borrowing costs could give Hunt significantly more fiscal headroom in his March 6 Budget, paving the way for income tax cuts or further

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Until this week, the UK economy looked increasingly set for a smooth “soft landing”, with inflation dropping sharply and early signs of growth picking up. But data releases in the past few days have added

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Private equity myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Private equity executives are predicting a sharp increase in takeover activity as buyout firms that have held on to investments in the hope of higher prices finally begin to capitulate. There has been a marked

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt has signalled he wants to cut taxes further in the coming months and left open the possibility of holding two Budgets ahead of this year’s general election. Hunt said on Thursday

Bobby Jain’s new hedge fund is falling short of its original $8bn-$10bn fundraising target, thwarting his ambition for the industry’s largest-ever debut. The Credit Suisse veteran and former co-chief investment officer of Millennium Management has told potential clients he is now aiming to launch Jain Global in July with $5bn-$6bn of assets, according to investors.

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. European stocks and bonds fell after European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde signalled that interest rates would come down in summer rather than spring and UK inflation rose unexpectedly for the first time in 10

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the UK inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. UK inflation unexpectedly accelerated in December raising questions over how soon the Bank of England will start cutting interest rates. Consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 4 per cent in December, up from

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Two deputy Conservative party chairs quit on Tuesday as Rishi Sunak suffered the biggest revolt of his premiership, with 60 rebel Tory MPs attempting to force him to toughen up his Rwanda legislation. Lee Anderson

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Donald Trump is expected to win the first ballot of the 2024 presidential race, as voters in Iowa gather on Monday night for caucuses that will set the pace for the Republican campaign for the

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Iran-backed Houthis struck a US-owned cargo ship on Monday, the first direct assault on a commercial vessel since American and British forces launched multiple strikes against the Yemeni rebels last week. The missile attack on

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Artificial intelligence myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Global leaders need a co-ordinated response to the challenges posed by AI, the chair of the world’s banking watchdog said, as he warned that the fast-developing technology “could change the course of history, not necessarily

The UK government tried to block the Japanese software company implicated in the Post Office scandal from new public IT contracts in the early 2010s in a drive nicknamed “Project Sushi”, according to British officials. The Cabinet Office pushed to formally exclude Fujitsu and other companies from bidding for government deals on the basis of

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Donald Trump is the first choice of just under half of likely Republican caucus goers, according to a new poll that underscores the former president’s dominance heading into the Iowa caucuses on Monday. The poll,

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Taiwan started counting votes on Saturday afternoon in a pivotal presidential and parliamentary election that could influence China’s approach to its democratic neighbour. The eighth national vote since the country of 23.5mn first held free

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Post Office claimed tax relief on compensation it paid to victims of the postmasters scandal, sparking warnings that it risks a £100mn bill and insolvency if authorities rule the move unlawful. In its latest

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Citigroup said it expected to cut 20,000 jobs in the “medium term” as it reported its worst quarter for 15 years. Citi, which is in the middle of its biggest restructuring for two decades, reported

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The US and the UK are preparing strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea. The US is expected to lead the military response against the Houthis after

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. An oil tanker linked to a dispute between Iran and the US has been seized off the coast of Oman, in a raid UK maritime authorities said was carried out by individuals in black military-style

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Rishi Sunak has announced new legislation to overturn the convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters prosecuted by the Post Office in the Horizon IT scandal. The UK prime minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The UK government awarded billions of pounds of contracts involving Fujitsu on Rishi Sunak’s watch after the Japanese company’s software was found to be at fault in the Post Office scandal in a landmark 2019

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Post Office’s former chief executive Paula Vennells will hand back her CBE after the UK prime minister backed calls for a review into whether she should be stripped of her honour. Vennells said in