Andy Burnham has been in Downing Street for barely a day, and rural Britain has already presented him with his first invoice. Farmers, landowners and the wider countryside economy are demanding that the new Prime Minister and his surprise Chancellor, John Healey, reverse the inheritance tax changes that have convulsed British agriculture since 2024.

The pressure lands squarely on the new occupant of No 11, a former Treasury minister who now inherits the most contentious tax policy of the Labour era alongside the nation’s chequebook.

The row dates back to Rachel Reeves’s first Budget, when she announced that agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR), the mechanisms that allow farms and family firms to pass between generations without a tax bill forcing a sale, would be restricted from April 2026.

After months of tractor protests in Westminster, the government blinked just before Christmas. The threshold for 100 per cent relief was raised from £1 million to £2.5 million per estate, with married couples able to combine allowances to £5 million, and 50 per cent relief above that. According to the House of Commons Library, the Treasury expects the concession to halve the number of affected estates, from 375 to 185 in 2026-27.

For many in the sector that was mitigation, not resolution. The Country Land and Business Association has argued the reforms could affect around 70,000 farms, and a group of farmers took the government to the High Court in March in a judicial review over the lack of formal consultation on the changes.

What gives the campaign fresh teeth is Burnham’s own words. During his by-election campaign in Makerfield, he said: “I personally have heard from farmers on family farms and I do think that needs looking at again.”

Farming groups intend to hold him to it. CLA director north Harriet Ranson said: “To date, he has made several commitments to the farming and food sector such as pledging to revisit the growth-inhibiting inheritance tax on farms, as well as directing the public sector to procure food more locally.”

She added: “It is my sincere hope that our ‘prime minister in waiting’ will appreciate the entrepreneurial attitudes and business brains that make up the rural economy and work with us to strengthen food production, nature recovery and the valued skills of the communities we represent.”

The prize, from the Treasury’s perspective, is modest revenue. The risk is a repeat of the scenes that defined the past 18 months: tractors on Whitehall, farm-gate protests and a rural economy that feels singled out. NFU president Tom Bradshaw described December’s concession as one that “will come as a huge relief to many”, while CLA president Gavin Lane said it spared family farms from “seeing their businesses taxed out of existence”. Neither organisation regards the matter as closed.

For Burnham, the politics are finely balanced. He has already signalled there is “room for movement” on tax, pledging business rates cuts for pubs and high street firms. Extending that flexibility to the countryside would delight a sector that spans everything from dairy farms to diversified visitor attractions, the breadth of enterprise celebrated at the Rural Business Awards, which are taking place at the National Conference Centre this November.

For rural business owners, the practical advice is unchanged: succession planning cannot wait on Westminster. But with a Prime Minister on record promising to look again, and a Chancellor with his first Budget to write this autumn, the countryside has rarely had a clearer window in which to press its case.

Paul Jones

Harvard alumni and former New York Times journalist. Editor of Business Matters for over 15 years, the UKs largest business magazine. I am also head of Capital Business Media’s automotive division working for clients such as Red Bull Racing, Honda, Aston Martin and Infiniti.

The financial math behind fleeing high-tax states for a Florida paradise is hitting a major roadblock.

While the absence of a state income tax in the Sunshine State remains a powerful draw for transplants, a combination of rising property taxes, soaring property insurance premiums and everyday inflation has pushed Miami’s total cost of living above New York City’s for the first time.

A recent Bloomberg analysis found that data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis indicate that the combined cost of living in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach region — dubbed the “Gold Coast” — is now roughly 5% higher than that of the New York metropolitan area and its surrounding suburbs.

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Additionally, consumer prices in South Florida have risen 36% since 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That represents the second-highest inflation surge among major American markets, trailing only Tampa.

The Miami metro area has now outpaced New York City for cost of living. (Getty Images/stock / Getty Images)

Despite the state’s lack of an income tax, S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data show South Florida home prices have jumped 79% since the pandemic, while the average annual homeowners insurance premium stands at $8,292 — the highest in the country and roughly four times the average cost of insuring a home in New York.

U.S. Census Bureau data also shows that the typical household income in the Miami metro area sits approximately $1,000 below the national median, and the cost of daily tasks like dining out has climbed 4% year-over-year to $94 per person per restaurant bill, compared to New York City’s average of $79 per person per check.

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However, price relief could be on Florida’s horizon after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature approved a proposed constitutional amendment for the November 2026 general election ballot that would expand the state’s homestead exemption. Under the proposal, eligible homeowners could receive up to a $250,000 exemption from non-school property taxes, phased in beginning in 2027 if voters approve the measure.

If approved by at least 60% of voters, the constitutional amendment could mean lower property tax bills and significant savings for millions of Florida homeowners.

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Thames Water’s main lenders are offering the government a “golden share” and more control for local authorities in a bid to stop the troubled supplier from being nationalised.

The government recently rejected a previous rescue proposal, and the BBC understands the lenders are preparing a legal challenge in case the new Andy Burnham-led government takes the firm into public hands.

In his first speech as prime minister on Monday, Burnham said he wanted to see greater public control of “life’s essentials”.

The new proposal offers local authorities greater involvement in the firm, similar to the relationship between United Utilities and Greater Manchester agreed when Burnham was the city’s mayor.

The London & Valley Water (L&VW ) consortium of lenders had already proposed a £10bn deal to prevent Thames Water from entering administration. It would involve writing off nearly half of its debt and injecting new cash in return for leniency on future pollution fines.

The deal was rejected by the government in June, with then-environment secretary Emma Reynolds saying it did not do enough for consumers or the environment.

Sources close to the new deal said the creditors had sweetened it with hundreds of millions in new money on top of the existing offer. A golden share would give the government veto power over decisions.

The government has been contacted for comment.

L&VW said on Tuesday that the new offer had “material improvements” on the old one, and would benefit customers.

A spokesperson said: “We continue to believe that the L&VW plan is by far the fastest and most reliable route to solving Thames Water’s complex problems and improving outcomes for customers and the environment.”

They said the new deal “achieves this without any government funding or cost to taxpayers”.

Fears first emerged three years ago that Thames Water could collapse and it has recently warned it could run out of cash by November.

The company, which supplies water and wastewater services for 16 million people across London and parts of southern England, was handed a £122.7m fine last year, the biggest ever issued by the industry regulator Ofwat, for breaching rules on sewage spills and shareholder payouts.

Sources close to the creditors have previously told the BBC that in the event of full nationalisation, they would pursue payment in full of the outstanding debts as has happened in previous cases, which could leave the government with a multi-billion-pound bill.

If the company does go bust, households will still have drinking water and sewerage services.

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SEOUL — South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index surged 3.56%, or 231.68 points, to close at 6,747.95 on Tuesday, snapping a two-day losing streak as investors returned in force to beaten-down semiconductor stocks and the country’s bourse operator briefly halted program trading amid the sharp rebound.

The index’s rally came after the KOSPI had lost 10.5% over the two preceding trading sessions, a stretch that had left the benchmark down more than a quarter from its record closing high reached June 22. Tuesday’s session began on shakier footing, with the index initially losing ground in early trading before sharply reversing course around midday and continuing to climb into the close.

A trading halt as the rally accelerated

The strength of Tuesday’s rebound prompted the Korea Exchange to activate what is known locally as a buy-side sidecar, a trading curb triggered when the Kospi 200 Futures index rises 5% or more within a one-minute window. Program trading for Kospi-listed shares was suspended for five minutes starting at 12:41 p.m. local time as the rally accelerated, with the index briefly touching an intraday high above 6,821 before settling to its final close of 6,747.95.

Chip stocks lead the recovery

Semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led Tuesday’s gains, with Samsung climbing 5.94% and SK Hynix rising 6.4% as bargain hunters moved back into technology shares that had been battered during the preceding sessions of the broader AI-related market correction. SK Square also posted strong gains, up 6.97%, while other notable advancers included KB Financial Group, up 3.02%, Kia Corporation, up 2.64%, Shinhan Financial Group, up 3.34%, Hanwha Aerospace, up 2.17%, Doosan Enerbility, up 2.93%, and SK Inc, up 3.28%.

Trading volume for the session came in at a moderate 387.8 million shares, worth approximately 24.5 trillion won, or roughly $16.6 billion. By investor type, foreign investors and institutions were both net buyers during the session, while individual retail investors were net sellers, according to Korea Exchange data.

Strong export data fuels investor confidence

Beyond the technical rebound in chip stocks, Tuesday’s rally was further supported by unexpectedly strong export figures. South Korea’s exports during the first 20 days of July climbed more than 50% year-over-year, driven in large part by a roughly 180% surge in semiconductor shipments tied to sustained global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure. That data reinforced investor confidence in the earnings outlook for the country’s dominant memory chip manufacturers, further bolstering the case for Tuesday’s rebound.

A pullback that analysts describe as technical

The KOSPI’s steep decline over the prior two sessions has drawn attention from major international banks assessing whether the pullback represents a lasting shift in sentiment or a more temporary correction. Citi analysts characterized the recent sell-off as largely technical in nature. “We think the recent share price pullback of KOSPI equities, led by KR memory suppliers, is more of a technical correction driven by market-wide profit-taking and therefore could represent a potential buying opportunity,” the analysts wrote in a note.

Citi’s assessment echoed a broader narrative in which South Korea’s stock market, the best-performing major global index in 2025, saw its momentum disrupted more recently by concerns over the sustainability of global AI infrastructure spending, concentration risk tied to its two largest listed companies, and speculative trading activity among the country’s large base of domestic retail investors.

Easing geopolitical tensions add to the positive tone

Beyond the chip sector-specific catalysts, easing concerns over the conflict between the United States and Iran also contributed to improved investor sentiment across South Korean markets Tuesday. While lingering worries about the Middle East conflict kept some investors cautious, reports of renewed mediation efforts between Iran and the United States helped support broader risk appetite, encouraging buying across a wide range of sectors beyond just technology and semiconductors.

The won strengthens alongside the equity rally

South Korea’s currency also firmed against the U.S. dollar as part of Tuesday’s broader market rebound, easing back from a 10-week high reached during the recent period of equity market weakness. The combination of a strengthening currency and a sharply higher stock market reflected a broader improvement in investor sentiment toward South Korean assets following the difficult stretch that preceded Tuesday’s session.

A volatile year for Korean markets overall

Despite the recent turbulence, the KOSPI remains up substantially over the past year, trading roughly 112.87% higher than the same point in 2025, according to available trading data, even after declining nearly 26% over the trailing month amid the sharp AI-related correction. The index’s dramatic rise over the past year has been driven substantially by South Korea’s dominant position in global memory chip production, particularly high-bandwidth memory chips essential to artificial intelligence data center infrastructure, a theme that has periodically fueled both sharp rallies and equally sharp pullbacks throughout 2026.

With Tuesday’s rebound helping stabilize sentiment following the recent two-day rout, investors are likely to continue closely watching both South Korea’s export data trends and developments in the broader global AI infrastructure investment cycle for further signals about the durability of the current rally. At the same time, the trajectory of the U.S.-Iran conflict remains a key variable for both energy prices and broader risk sentiment, with any further progress toward diplomatic resolution likely to provide additional support for South Korean equities in the sessions ahead.

A group representing America’s manufacturers on Tuesday released a report marking one year since the enactment of the 2025 tax law that includes examples of the legislation’s impact on the manufacturing sector in all 50 states.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was passed by Republicans in Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last July, and the legislation contained a number of provisions aimed at boosting the manufacturing industry – such as 100% expensing of newly built factories and immediate depreciation of machinery – and preventing tax hikes.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released an analysis that estimated the number of jobs protected by the provisions of the OBBBA, along with the amount of economic growth and wages it preserved. It also chronicled how a manufacturer in each state used the tax law.

“Tax policy is far more than numbers on a spreadsheet and these stories – across all 50 states – show the real-world impact of pro-growth policies that have given manufacturers the confidence to invest, hire, raise wages and expand facilities,” said National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons.

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NAM’s report highlighted the tax law’s impact on jobs, economic growth and wages in all 50 states. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Timmons added the tax reform law is “one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in a generation,” and said that “Congress and the administration delivered the permanent, pro-growth tax code manufacturers needed to invest in their people, purchase new equipment and plan confidently for the future.”

NAM’s analysis found that in California, the law saved 708,000 jobs, $134 billion in GDP and $67 billion in wages – the most in each category among the 50 states. Commercial helicopter manufacturer Robinson Helicopter said it’s taking advantage of immediate research and development expensing to deploy new R88 helicopters as control centers for fire surveillance drones.

“These types of innovative solutions require a significant amount of research and development spend,” said Will Fulton, vice president of business development at Robinson Helicopter, adding that the immediate R&D deduction “accelerates our ability to innovate and increases the ability with which we can bring these property and lifesaving innovations to market.”

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The OBBBA made it easier for manufacturers to deduct R&D expenses as well as new capital expenditures. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Texas’ totals ranked the second highest at 547,000 jobs, $107 billion in GDP and $51 billion in wages saved by the OBBBA, per NAM’s analysis. WilliamsRDM said the tax law’s R&D expensing allowed it to continue to invest in engineering, prototyping, testing and design improvements to deploy new tech for aerospace, defense, fire suppression, energy and security firms.

Florida, which NAM estimated had 399,000 jobs and $36 billion in wages saved by the OBBBA, has seen Johnson & Johnson invest more than $1 billion to expand operations in Jacksonville.

J&J’s chief technical operations and risk officer, Kathy Wengel, said that the “investments reflect our sustained commitment to advancing American innovation, enabled by a strong and stable corporate tax rate.”

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Manufacturers cited the newfound certainty of the tax law as giving them confidence to invest. (Andrew Magnum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Snap-On CEO and NAM Vice Chair for Tax and Finance Policy Nick Pinchuk said that he’s seen firsthand how “long-term tax uncertainty translates into workforce certainty,” adding that the law was “an investment in the American worker.”

“It reaffirms, for all to see, the critical importance of manufacturing to our nation’s future and it assures that prosperous tomorrow by giving manufacturers, including small- and family-owned businesses, a significant boost to their capabilities and the confidence to making lasting investments in their people – to recruit, train and retain skilled workers, strengthen career pathways, and create good paying jobs in communities across the country,” Pinchuk said.

“When I first started drafting the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, I made it clear: permanent, pro-growth tax policy was a top priority. If we were truly going to make a lasting impact for manufacturers, we had to deliver legislation that gave them the confidence to invest in equipment, hire workers, and plan for the long term — and that’s exactly what we did. By preventing a massive tax hike and locking in permanent, pro-growth tax policies, we gave manufacturers the certainty they needed to grow. One year later, we’re seeing the results, with success stories from manufacturers in all 50 states.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., said in a statement that when drafting the OBBBA, his top priority was a “permanent, pro-growth tax policy.”

“If we were truly going to make a lasting impact for manufacturers, we had to deliver legislation that gave them the confidence to invest in equipment, hire workers, and plan for the long term – and that’s exactly what we did,” he said. “By preventing a massive tax hike and locking in permanent, pro-growth tax policies, we gave manufacturers the certainty they needed to grow. One year later, we’re seeing the results, with success stories from manufacturers in all 50 states.”

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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, added in a statement that, “One year in, the results are clear – the Working Families Tax Cuts are strengthening our economy, boosting American manufacturing and creating greater opportunities for workers for years to come.”