Inflation overshoots expectations ahead of Bank of England meeting June 18, 2025 Inflation hit 3.4 per cent in the year to May, official data has revealed, which is set to be the final set of data Bank of England officials receive before coming to an interest rates decision on Thursday. Data published by the Office for National Statistics showed services price growth, which is closely monitored by [...]
UK trade with US falls apart after Trump tariff blitz June 12, 2025 Exports to the US – the country the UK trades with the most with – saw its largest monthly decrease in April since records began, official data has shown. The onset of President Trump’s trade war with some of his closest allies and foes put governments on standby as major forecasters warned the world economy [...]
UK economy shrinks more than expected in blow to Reeves June 12, 2025 The UK economy shrank more than expected in April, official data has shown, suggesting momentum built up in the beginning of this year has already worn away. New figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing a 0.3 per cent contraction come off the back of a strong 0.7 per cent growth in [...]
Unemployment creeps up as firms cut jobs following Reeves tax raid June 10, 2025 The unemployment rate has crept up to 4.6 per cent from 4.5 per cent, official data has revealed, putting Chancellor Reeves’ ambition of growing the UK economy and getting people into work under threat. It is the highest unemployment rate in three years, with the UK economy then recovering from the pandemic. Figures released by [...]
Foreign companies drive £19bn M&A surge as UK firms ‘attractively valued’ June 3, 2025 Takeovers of British firms reached the highest level in nearly three years as several multi-billion pound transactions made by foreign companies pushed up the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), official data has shown. Inward M&A deals in the first three months of the year exceeded £19bn, nearly four times that seen in the last [...]
UK retail sales boost as Brits enjoy warm weather May 23, 2025 Sales rose for UK retailers last month as warmer weather helped drive stronger demand for food and drink, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said overall retail sales volumes rose by 1.2 per cent in April. This compared with a 0.1 per cent rise in March, which was revised down from [...]
Reeves’ impossible mission to save the public finances – in four charts May 22, 2025 Government borrowing spiked in April, according to official data, in a stark illustration of the difficult fiscal tightrope that the Chancellor Reeves is walking. The £20.2bn in monthly borrowing was steeper than economists’ prediction of £18bn. So, Reeves might have shivered when she heard Keir Starmer tell the House of Commons winter fuel payments would [...]
Reeves’ taxes push inflation to 3.5 per cent in ‘Awful April’ May 21, 2025 Inflation bounced back up to 3.5 per cent in April, official data has revealed, underlining the cost burden firms are taking on after Chancellor Reeves’ tax hikes on employers and rise to the national living wage came into effect. Consumer price inflation rose by 1.2 per cent on a month-on-month basis, higher than the last [...]
OBR ridiculed for ‘joke of a salary’ in analyst job offer May 20, 2025 The UK’s fiscal watchdog has been ridiculed for offering a “joke of a salary” after advertising for new roles. The Office for Budget Responsibility is hiring for three new “fiscal analysts” based in London with a salary range of just £38,430-52,000, despite the jobs being graded a “higher executive officer” function within the organisation. The [...]
Employment levels slump as Reeves’ taxes bite May 13, 2025 Employment levels deteriorated in March, official data has suggested, in signs that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £20bn tax raid on employers has squeezed firms’ profits. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the number of payrolled employees fell by 53,000 over the first three months of the year. The early estimate of [...]