Manufacturers warn of ‘fragile footing’ as Iran war threatens to hike costs March 16, 2026 UK manufacturing has started the year on “fragile footing,” with its economic standing likely to worsen due to the conflict in the Middle East, the sector’s industry has warned. A new report from Make UK revealed the sector is set to grow by just shy one one per cent in 2026, a modest rebound after [...]
Labour told to scrap ‘arbitrary’ inheritance tax system March 15, 2026 The UK government is being urged to scrap the inheritance tax system following warnings that that it enforces the UK as a “high-tax outlier” and risks stifling investment and driving entrepreneurs abroad. A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) highlights that nearly half of the 38 OECD countries – where members are [...]
Children today will ‘work until 75’ amid pensions timebomb, think tank warns March 15, 2026 Children currently in primary school are set to work until the age of 75 as the “collapsing” birthrate blows a black hole in public finances, a think tank has warned. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has released a report claiming the UK is heading towards a “demographic cliff edge”. The report suggests the state [...]
Trump calls on Starmer to help secure Strait of Hormuz March 14, 2026 President Trump has called on Sir Keir Starmer to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the critical stretch of water near Iran for a fifth of the world’s global oil supply. In a post on Truth Social, Trump demanded that China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK send war ships to the region to [...]
Reeves vows ‘greater support’ for poorer Brits as Iran oil island hit March 14, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested poorer households will receive “greater support” in an energy subsidy package as oil supply worries intensified after a key Iranian island was attacked. Reeves has said she “found the money” to announce a support package for people not supported by the energy price cap, including rural communities which use heating [...]
Oil crisis to ‘push UK into recession’ after growth flatlines March 13, 2026 Fears that the ongoing crisis in the Middle East will plunge the UK into a recession have been amplified after fresh figures revealed the economy flatlined in January. The price of oil closed above $100 for the first time since 2022 last night as interventions from the global energy body failed to calm markets amid [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as oil rocks markets; Reeves struck by flat economy March 13, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Fresh figures this morning have shown the UK economy was flat in the first month of the year. It marked a blow to the government’s growth agenda but this will likely be viewed as a small blow ahead of global economies being thrown into turmoil [...]
‘Taxed to a standstill’ – UK economy grinds to a halt with no growth in January March 13, 2026 The UK economy saw zero growth in the first month of the year – before global markets were rocked by the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have handed a major blow to Rachel Reeves with the economy flat in January, compared to the 0.2 [...]
Oil surges again as industry faces ‘largest disruption in history of the market’ March 12, 2026 The global energy body has warned the current oil crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East marks the “largest disruption” in history of the commodity’s market. The International Energy Agency (IEA) made a record intervention in the market on Wednesday, with the release of 400m barrels from the strategic reserves. But the move [...]
Middle East war ‘could plunge UK into a recession’ March 12, 2026 The crisis in the Middle East could plunge the UK into a recession in the worst case scenario where oil prices surge higher over the next two months, analysis has shown. Oxford Economics research has indicated that a continued surge in oil prices would rattle “parts of the global economy”, with the UK set to [...]