Osborne pledges to slash corporation tax

George Osborne has pledged to slash corporation tax to encourage businesses to still invest in the UK following the EU referendum vote.

In an interview with the Financial Times, the chancellor said he would cut the rate to below 15% - some 5% lower than its current 20% rate.

That would give the UK the lowest corporation tax of any major economy.

Mr Osborne said the cut was part of his plans to build a "super-competitive economy" with low tax rates.

A Treasury spokesperson confirmed the Financial Times's story was correct but said they did not know when the cut would happen.

In March, the chancellor said corporation tax would fall to 17% by 2020.

Mr Osborne told the FT it was important for "Britain to "get on with it" to prove to investors that the country was still "open for business".

Mr Osborne's announcement comes amid reports that the Bank of England could this week lower the amount of capital banks have to keep aside as a safety net in case of unexpected risks.

On Tuesday, the Bank publishes the outcome of its bi-annual Financial Policy Committee meeting which looks at risks to the UK's financial stability.

Mr Carney said last week that the Bank would take "any further actions it deems appropriate to support financial stability".

One option could be to reduce the amount of capital banks are required to hold to help stimulate the economy.

'Signs of shock'

Mr Osborne has already abandoned his long-held target to restore government finances to a surplus by 2020 amid fears the uncertainty caused by the Leave vote could hold back the economy.

The chancellor said the economy was showing "clear signs" of shock following the vote to leave the European Union.

"How we respond will determine the impact on jobs and growth," he said at the time.

Economists have also warned about the impact of the Leave vote.

"Having voted for Brexit last week, the economy is clearly going to go into a down swing, that might be a full-blown recession, that might just be very very low growth," Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said last week.