UK inflation to rise as summer spending pushes up hotels and airfares August 17, 2025 UK inflation is set to have edged higher last month as summer spending pushed up flight and hotel costs, and food prices continue to climb. One economist said an “Oasis bump” could have contributed to higher accommodation prices in July. Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation is widely expected to have increased in July, from the [...]
Rachel Reeves told to ‘get out of the way’ ahead of Autumn Budget August 13, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told to “let businesses get on with it and get out of the way” ahead of delivering her second Autumn Budget in the coming months. A group of 1,500 private business leaders surveyed by KPMG said the Chancellor should focus on promoting higher wages and lower costs for companies. They [...]
Bank of England interest rate cut offers modest boost for UK SMEs August 11, 2025 The Bank of England’s recent decision to reduce its base interest rate from 4.25 per cent to four per cent marks the first time borrowing costs have fallen to this level since March 2023, offering a modest reprieve for UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) after two years of elevated rates. According to new analysis [...]
Bank of England cuts interest rates in historic vote August 7, 2025 The Bank of England has cut interest rates to four per cent in an unprecedented double vote as Monetary Policy Committee members clashed on the impacts of a crumbling jobs market and higher food prices. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members were told to vote a second time after four members voting for a 25 basis [...]
Official statistics have become useless August 7, 2025 The pandemic has exposed the shortcomings in how we measure everything, from inflation to GDP to jobs, says Helen Thomas Statistics haven’t quite kept pace with the world they’re meant to measure. Designed for an economy of assembly lines and cheque books, many of today’s headline figures feel increasingly out of step with a digital, [...]
Cut interest rates to four per cent, City AM Shadow MPC says August 5, 2025 Top economists have voted 8-1 for interest rates to be slashed by 25 basis points in City AM’s new Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). Amid high inflation and falling job numbers, the Bank of England is set to face a difficult finely balanced decision on Thursday on whether to cut interest rates from the current [...]
Bank of England to cut interest rates but faces dilemma on outlook August 4, 2025 The Bank of England is unlikely to signal faster interest rate cuts at this Thursday’s meeting, leading economists have said, leaving the future of monetary policy in the balance. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members are widely expected to agree to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to four per cent. But City analysts have [...]
Bank of England officials set to clash on interest rates July 30, 2025 Bank of England policymakers are set to spar on whether to hold or cut interest rates as City analysts are expecting a three-way split in the final vote. The Bank saw a 6-3 vote in favour of holding interest rates at 4.25 per cent in June while the meeting before in May saw four dissenting [...]
Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill butter up £75m merger July 26, 2025 Bread producers Hovis and Kingsmill are set for a historic merger with their owners expected to ink an agreement after months of discussion. Kingsmill, whose immediate parent Allied Bakeries is owned by London-listed Associated British Foods (ABF), and Hovis could benefit from up to £50m of annual cost savings from a merger. The proposed agreement, [...]
Decathlon: Losses almost double amid ‘significant transformation’ July 22, 2025 Losses almost doubled at Decathlon during its latest financial year as a “significant transformation” impacted its sales. The retailer has reported a pre-tax loss of £23.7m for 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The total comes after Decathlon also posted a loss of £11.9m for 2023. The business last achieved a pre-tax [...]