Blackpool Pleasure Beach to close rides as costs spiral March 24, 2025 High inflation, interest rates and “significant increases” in the minimum wage have made turning a profit “harder to achieve”, the owner of Blackpool Pleasure Beach has said as it fell back into the red. The attraction, which dates back to 1896, also said the rising costs will force it to close some rides this year [...]
UK wage growth remains hot as Bank of England set to decide on interest rates March 20, 2025 Wage growth has continued to soar, new figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that annual regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 5.9 per cent between November 2024 and January 2025. Total pay growth, which includes bonuses, increased by 5.8 per cent. “Overall pay growth remains relatively strong, with pay growth high in [...]
Bank of England expected to hold rates as inflation persists March 17, 2025 The Bank of England is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at 4.5 per cent this week as wage growth and inflation data remains sticky. Most analysts are expecting a seven to two vote in favour of a hold from the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, with external members Swati Dhingra and Catherine Mann voting [...]
GDP shrinks in January as UK economy prepares for upcoming tax hikes March 14, 2025 The UK economy underperformed expectations in January. According to the latest set of gross domestic product (GDP) figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the economy shrank by 0.1 per cent in January as output was dragged down by a sharp drop in output in the production sector. Over the three months to [...]
Bank of England warns ‘age of uncertainty’ stopping rapid rate cuts March 5, 2025 An “age of uncertainty”, especially over the path of inflation, means that rapid interest rate cuts are unlikely to be coming to the UK, top Bank of England officials have said. Huw Pill, chief economist at the Bank of England, said the central bank was unlikely to make “larger and more rapid cuts to interest [...]
Interest rates to fall to 3.5 per cent City firm predicts February 27, 2025 Paul Dales, chief UK economist at the City consultancy, said it was "very unusual" for the Bank of England to cut interest rates when inflation is expected to rise further even further above target.
Tariffs unlikely to spark persistent inflation, Bank of England rate-setter says February 26, 2025 Swati Dhingra, a rate-setter at the Bank of England, said Donald Trump’s tariffs would likely push down on domestic inflation as global exporters slashed prices to maintain market share. Dhingra warned that the UK was “particularly sensitive” to changes in imported costs due to its openness, but suggested that the danger of tariff-induced inflation was [...]
How will inflation impact Bank of England interest rate decisions February 19, 2025 The first inflation figures of the year confirmed what many had already known: Inflation will rise significantly in 2025.
‘Alarm bells’ for Bank of England as inflation accelerates to three per cent February 19, 2025 Inflation picked up faster than expected at the start of the year, official data shows, as concerns grow about the persistence of price pressures in the economy. The headline rate of inflation picked up to 3.0 per cent in January, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was up from [...]
Wage growth accelerates again as concerns about inflation rise February 18, 2025 Wage growth accelerated again in the final quarter of last year, new figures show, in a reminder that the UK economy still faces sticky price pressures.