UK debt pile exceeds £3 trillion one week before Healey’s Budget October 21, 2026 The size of the UK public debt topped £3 trillion in September for the first time in official data released one week before John Healey’s Budget. The major milestone reflects the difficulties facing the Chancellor ahead of his maiden fiscal statement. As a share of GDP, public sector debt stood at 94 per cent, about [...]
UK government approves Jackdaw production in North Sea boost October 21, 2026 A major gas field in the North Sea has been re-approved by the government following years of legal rows with environment campaigners. The Jackdaw site, a large offshore natural gas field 150 miles east of Aberdeen, has received the official stamp of approval from the government and is expected to supply gas to the UK [...]
Inflation leaps above expectations to 3.5 per cent October 21, 2026 Inflation jumped to 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to September as the UK economy looks set to suffer the damaging effects of energy price increases caused by the Iran war over the coming months. The consumer price index (CPI) reading rose above market expectations. This was also above last month’s figure of 3.1 [...]
Why a ‘do no harm’ Budget isn’t good enough October 21, 2026 Labour market statistics can be pretty dry. Inactivity rates, nominal regular earnings growth, payroll numbers and claimant counts tend not, at first glance, to fire up the imagination. The data dumps are hoovered up by economists and analysts, not least as a guide to future Bank of England interest rate decisions or as a barometer [...]
OBR expected to sound alarm on Healey’s spending pressures October 21, 2026 Britain’s fiscal watchdog is likely to sound the alarm on the spending pressures facing the government when it lays out its analysis of the Budget next week, economists have predicted, in what would be a significant move signalling the scale of the challenges facing the Chancellor. Analysts have said the Office for Budget Responsibility could [...]
OBR expected to flag warning over Healey’s spending pressures October 21, 2026 Britain’s fiscal watchdog is likely to sound the alarm on the spending pressures facing the government when it lays out its analysis of the Budget next week, economists have predicted, in what would be a significant move signalling the scale of the challenges facing the Chancellor. John Healey is facing a crunch Spending Review next [...]
‘Own goal’ – City chiefs warn Healey higher bank taxes hurt jobs outside London October 21, 2026 Top City chiefs are launching last-ditch attempts to stop a punishing tax raid on banks at the Budget, warning the move will hurt jobs and growth outside of London. Rain Newton-Smith, the chief executive of the CBI, is set to warn Chancellor John Healey that increasing taxes on banks would be an “own goal for [...]
Andy Haldane: This will be ‘a Budget for the backbenchers, not business’ October 20, 2026 A former Bank of England chief economist has warned he expects to see “further borrowing” and “further tax rises” in next week’s Budget as he threw his weight behind Kemi Badenoch’s plan on the UK economy. Speaking at an Ipsos event, Andy Haldane said the Budget has been a “less lengthy and a less leaky [...]
Badenoch urges Healey to avoid ‘fictional cuts’ October 20, 2026 Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Chancellor John Healey to focus on urgently cutting spending and avoid making “fictional cuts” at the end of parliament. In a speech in London on Tuesday, Badenoch will warn that Labour’s deficit reduction plans rely on “huge cuts to the public sector in the final year of the spending [...]
John Healey rules out capital gains tax hike in Budget October 20, 2026 John Healey has squashed speculation he will raise capital gains tax in the forthcoming Budget after rejecting calls from his Cabinet colleagues. The Treasury was facing lobbying efforts from top ministers, including Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting, to raise the capital gains tax (CGT) rate from its current level of 24 per cent for higher [...]