The Treasury is reportedly looking at major reforms, making it more difficult for wildlife concerns to hold up developments

Chancellor Rachel Reeves considers a new tax on primary homes over £1.5 million, potentially impacting wealthy homeowners.

A London pub chain applying a 4pc service charge to drinks bought at the bar has blamed Rachel Reeves’s National Insurance raid for the fee.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is weighing plans to scrap capital gains tax exemptions on high-value homes, in a move dubbed a “mansion tax”, to raise billions and plug a £40bn fiscal gap. Property experts warn it could stall sales and hit pensioners downsizing.

The warning came after figures showed borrowing to fund day-to-day spending hit £42.8 billion in the first three months of the financial year