Budget Watch for Business: Travel Weekly speakers say the Autumn Budget is likely to be “low key”, with fewer business tax shocks after Labour’s earlier National Insurance hit on employers. Tax Threshold Pressure: Unite urges Andy Burnham and John Healey to unfreeze the £12,570 personal allowance, arguing low earners are paying “eye-watering” tax. Retail Demand Signal: ONS data shows August retail sales volumes rose 0.5% month-on-month (after a 0.5% fall in July), helped by online growth and warm-weather demand. Energy & Rates Backdrop: Bank of England messaging keeps the door open to future hikes as energy-driven inflation risks persist. British Steel Accountability: MPs demand a credible British Steel plan after taxpayer costs of about £1.3m a day, saying ministers still can’t explain a sustainable business model or decarbonisation route. City Deal: Taboola agrees up to £27m to buy UK ad-tech rival Dianomi, betting on AI tools and renewed advertiser growth. Holiday Let Tax Review: Labour is considering treating short-term lets as second homes, potentially shifting them from business rates to council tax. AML Crackdown: SmartKYC says the UK’s new anti-money-laundering strategy is a “partial fix”, with beneficial-ownership registers not fully capturing how wealth is built.