Costs up, demand down: Manufacturers suffer biggest squeeze since 2022 April 1, 2026 Costs for the UK’s manufacturing sector have risen at the fastest pace in three and a half years, new data has indicated, as the energy price shock from the Iran war hammers businesses. S&P Global research has found that manufacturers suffered the highest increase in input prices since late 2022 when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine [...]
‘Unprecedented’ – Food inflation to soar to 9 per cent by end of year April 1, 2026 Food inflation will soar from three to nine per cent by the end of this year due to the “unprecedented” energy and supply chain shocks caused by the Iran war, a leading association has warned. The rate of food price growth is currently at 3.3 per cent but will climb to nine per cent by [...]
Reeves must listen to supermarkets rather than lecture them April 1, 2026 Supermarkets begin preparing for Christmas at least six months before the anticipated peak of customer demand hits around December 23. Catering for this entirely predictable surge is in itself an astonishing commercial and logistical feat, but a little over six years ago the UK’s supermarkets were in the midst of an unprecedented challenge. As pandemic [...]
Andy Haldane: My mission to ignite Britain’s animal spirits March 31, 2026 As the Bank of England’s chief economist, Andy Haldane had a front row seat to the maladies of UK’s sluggish economy. After a four-year stint running the RSA, he is back as president of the British Chambers of Commerce, and tells Ali Lyon business is still taxed mindlessly, over regulated, and far too risk averse. [...]
Unilever freezes hiring as Iran war poses ‘significant challenges’ March 31, 2026 FTSE 100 giant Unilever has placed a global freeze on hiring for at least three months as the Iran war wreaks havoc on global supply chains and fuel prices. The London-based business, which owns Dove soap and Hellman’s mayonnaise, told staff the ban on hiring will affect “all levels” of recruitment and was taken in [...]
Why high oil prices could plunge world into recession by the summer March 30, 2026 The world economy is heading for a “rare” recession in the middle of this year as a prolonged war seems likely amid the prospect of US troops heading to the Middle East. Economists have warned that activity will fall in the middle of the year if oil prices surge to $150 per barrel and remain [...]
UK economy set for second lowest growth in G7 – OECD March 26, 2026 The UK economy is set to suffer the second lowest growth and second highest level of inflation in the G7, the OECD has predicted, in a damning set of forecast revisions for the Labour government and the Bank of England. Growth in the UK will slow to around 0.7 per cent, according to the OECD, [...]
Consumer confidence collapses as Iran war provokes inflation fears March 26, 2026 Brits’ confidence in the state of the economy has plummeted since the outbreak of war in Iran, as shoppers tighten their purse strings amid fears of sharp price rises. Consumer sentiment over the UK’s economy has fallen to its lowest level on record, down from -30 per cent to -53 per cent, according to trade [...]
Guinness Index: How much is a pint of the black stuff in your borough? March 25, 2026 While the ONS has added hummus and dog grooming to its sample shopping basket in a bid to move with the times when tracking inflation – City AM prefers a cooler metric: the Guinness Index. Nothing encapsulates British consumer habits like Guinness’ meteoric rise: taking stout from the preserve of grey-haired aficionados to an ever-present [...]
Food industry warns of inflation ‘calm before the storm’ March 25, 2026 Food and retail bosses have warned the fall in food inflation is the “calm before the storm,” as business brace for the Iran war to push up energy costs. Trade body Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said Wednesday’s drop in food inflation – from 3.6 to 3.3 per cent year on year – could be [...]