Consumer confidence rises in February but cost-of-living crisis ‘far from over’ February 21, 2025 Brits’ confidence rose in February, fueled by better personal finances and a brighter outlook on the general economy. However, confidence remained down on last year. GfK’s index measuring changes in personal finances during the last year rose three points to -7, seven points better than February 2024. The major purchase Index rose three points to [...]
‘This is Keir Starmer’s Poll Tax’: Labour warned inheritance tax protests won’t stop February 17, 2025 The Labour government’s reforms to farmers’ inheritance tax announced in the Autumn Budget has been branded as “Keir Starmer’s Poll Tax”. William Lees-Jones, who owns and runs Manchester-based JW Lees, which has produced real ale since 1828, added that the Prime Minister is “losing the argument and feeling rattled”. The pubs boss has liked the policy, which [...]
Rich people’s problems: Confidence in economy hits record low among wealthy Brits February 13, 2025 Confidence in the economy among high net worth Brits has tanked since the election of a Labour government last summer, according to data from the Saltus Wealth Index. The study, which questioned 2,000 people in the UK with assets of £250,000 or more, revealed just under half – 48 per cent – of these so-called [...]
Trump’s tariffs reveal reality of Dealmaker-in-Chief February 4, 2025 Things happen quickly in Trump’s America. On Saturday, the US President announced sweeping tariffs on imports from China, Canada and Mexico, in a move that sparked panic among allies as far away as Japan and the EU. By yesterday afternoon, analysts were predicting that the Canadian and Mexican economies would be plunged into recession as [...]
Donald Trump’s tariffs: Here are the three important points February 4, 2025 There's a lot that could be said about tariffs, but there's three points that really matter.
Warnings Trump tariffs on China and allies risk economic disruption February 1, 2025 New trade penalties against Canada, Mexico and China that US President Donald Trump plans to impose represent an aggressive early move against America’s three largest trading partners – but at the risk of higher inflation and possible disruptions to the global economy. In Trump’s view, the 25 per cent tariffs against the two North American [...]
Manchester unveils £15bn plan to become go-to tourist destination outside London January 29, 2025 Greater Manchester has unveiled plans to grow its visitor economy to be worth £15bn by the end of the decade in a bid to be the go-to tourism destination in the UK outside of London. The new strategy, which covers a five-year period through to 2030, aims to increase the region’s visitor economy from around [...]
Andy Burnham wants Manchester to add an extra £13bn a year to the UK economy – this is how January 24, 2025 A decade-long plan to increase Greater Manchester’s contribution to the UK economy by £13bn a year has been unveiled by the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham. The proposal, which has been made public today, would see the “whole Greater Manchester system mobilised” to deliver £1bn of investment every year between now and 2035. Burnham has also [...]
IMF upgrades UK growth outlook after sluggish year January 17, 2025 UK economic growth is set to accelerate this year after it missed forecasts in 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. The global economic body slightly upgraded its growth projection for the UK in a fresh update of its influential World Economic Outlook report. The IMF said UK gross domestic product (GDP) is on [...]
‘Here for the long haul’: Reeves defends her position after market turmoil January 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted she is “here for the long haul” as she defended her position as Chancellor in the wake of bond market turmoil and rising government borrowing costs. The UK’s Chancellor has faced criticism for embarking on a trip to China last weekend while government borrowing costs surged and the value of the [...]