Education union threatens teacher strike unless ‘inflation plus’ pay increase secured July 1, 2022 An education union has rejected a nine per cent pay increase for new teachers as inadequate and threatened to strike if a better offer is not made. The joint general secretaries of the National Education Union (NEU) wrote to the secretary of state Nadhim Zahawi asking him to address the “ profound crisis” in the [...]
UK food prices now over seven per cent higher than 2021 with perishable goods leading the way July 1, 2022 Food and consumer goods prices across Europe are now 6.9 per cent higher than they were a year ago, rising to 7.5 per cent in the UK. According to new data released by NielsenIQ today, more than eight FMCG categories out of 10 showed increasing inflation rates during the 12 week period ending April 24 [...]
Taxpayers to foot extra £27.3m bill for Royal Family even as cost of living soars July 1, 2022 UK taxpayers will pay an extra £27.3m over the next two years for the Royal Family even as a cost of living crisis grips the country. The additional amount is to help the Royal Family meet expenses after a drop in profits at the Crown Estate, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The Royals spent £102.4m in [...]
Boost for Global Britain as UK exports to EU defy Brexit challenges and hit highest level ever July 1, 2022 New ONS data shows that British exports to the EU reached their highest ever level due to rising exports of fuels as the bloc continues to import substantial quantities of LNG. Goods exports to the EU reached £16.4bn in April 2022, their highest level in current prices since the series began in 1997. Meanwhile, the [...]
UK set to cut food tariffs to ease cost of living pressures June 30, 2022 The UK is set to cut tariffs on imported food in a bid to ease the cost of living crisis, Boris Johnson has said. The Prime Minister said products the UK does not produce – like oranges, rice, olives and bananas – could see price cuts in the coming months by slashing tariffs on foreign [...]
Are we heading for a global recession? June 29, 2022 Keith Wade, Chief Economist, discusses what central bankers’ next move might be, what markets are pricing in and what the probability of a recession is. People are worrying about a global recession and with good reason. But what if the factors driving rising prices are beyond the limits of policymakers’ control? The squeeze on living [...]
Sunak: UK has ‘tools at our disposal’ to tackle 40-year high inflation June 28, 2022 The UK has “the tools at our disposal” to tackle the worst inflation spike in four decades, the chancellor urged today. Responding to a grilling by MPs in the house of commons, chancellor Rishi Sunak said Britain is “not immune” to the inflationary “shocks” that are sweeping through the world’s richest economies. Prices have climbed [...]
Johnson says inflation is a ‘price worth paying’ to defend Ukrainian freedom June 27, 2022 Boris Johnson has today said soaring inflation linked to sanctions on Russia are a “price worth paying” as he compared Vladimir Putin’s regime to the Nazis. The Prime Minister told journalists during today’s G7 summit in Germany that the economic effects of not helping Ukraine would be worse than what the UK is currently facing. [...]
Croydon Tramlink staff to strike tomorrow and Wednesday in TfL dispute over pay June 27, 2022 The ASLEF union said this morning that its members on the Croydon Tramlink will strike on tomorrow and Wednesday this week in a dispute over pay. “With the RPI rate of inflation running at over 11 per cent, FirstGroup, the company which operates Tramlink on behalf of Transport for London, has offered tram drivers just [...]
Retail sales volumes fell last month as the cost of living crunch eats into April’s gains June 24, 2022 Retail sales volumes fell by 0.5 per cent last month, according to the latest figures, as the cost of living crisis eats away at gains made in April. While the figures suggest current inflation levels and concerns over a recession have Brits’ pinching their purse strings, sales volumes were 2.6 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, [...]