Output gains show firms are ‘protecting their margins’, Lloyds growth survey says March 19, 2025 Growth in a number of sectors shows that firms “are taking steps to protect their margins”, according to a survey of 1,300 companies. Rachel Reeves’s £20bn increase to national insurance contributions (NICs), which is set to come into effect in April, has left firms unsettled. But the latest Lloyds UK Sector Tracker has indicated companies [...]
UK economy facing recession risk as Spring Statement looms March 17, 2025 Britain’s fragile jobs market indicates that a recession is looming for the UK economy, a leading think tank has warned. Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the government’s economic record in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, claiming most major economies around the world are facing lower growth than expected. But the Resolution Foundation said the UK [...]
ONS chief ‘very confident’ UK is suffering from rise in economic inactivity February 4, 2025 Professor Sir Ian Diamond said he was "very confident" that the UK was suffering from a rise in health-related economic inactivity, despite question marks about the quality of the data.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules on a ‘knife edge’ January 30, 2025 The Resolution Foundation warned that Rachel Reeves may be forced to find some extra cash through tax increases or spending cuts, or else face "market jitters".
Immigration to lift population by 5m and boost the economy January 28, 2025 Based on current trends, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests the population will hit 72.5m by mid-2032, over seven per cent higher than in 2022.
Further tax rises ‘a good bet’ after Chancellor’s borrowing blow January 22, 2025 Borrowing in the month of December was at its third highest level since monthly records began back in 1997, excluding only the pandemic and 2009.
Pensions industry hopes mini-reshuffle could ‘revive’ auto-enrolment debate January 17, 2025 Industry figures hope that Torsten Bell's appointment as pensions minister could "revive" discussions about increasing the contribution rate for auto-enrolment pensions.
London is the only major city in the UK that’s getting older January 8, 2025 Excluding London, the average age in the UK's 'core cities' has fallen by 0.6 years in the period between 2001 and 2023.
The truth about wealth inequality November 28, 2024 The distribution of wealth in the economy has attracted more and more attention among economists following a wealth boom that lasted for four decades. Between 1980 and 2019, British household wealth increased from three to seven-times national income, as cheap credit helped to fuel consistent rises in house prices. “For much of the past four [...]
Why do economists think public investment is good for growth? October 19, 2024 As the Budget approaches it seems clear that the government is preparing to ramp up public investment.