Autumn budget and inflation worries drag down consumer confidence September 18, 2025 Consumer confidence slumped in September as concerns about the state of the UK economy and the possibility of higher taxes weighed on Brits’ minds. Expectations of the state of the overall economy worsened to -36 in September, down from -32 in August, according to the British Retail Consortium. Brits’ personal financial situations also slipped to [...]
Hawks vs Doves: Bank of England’s MPC will hold interest rates – but expect dissent September 17, 2025 In the last year, the Bank of England has cut interest rates five times on the expectation that price rises were easing in the UK. When inflation hit a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in October 2022, policymakers at the Bank warned that its fight to battle inflation was “sacrosanct”. The relentless spiralling of [...]
Asda-owned Leon cuts hundreds of jobs as work from home trend bites September 17, 2025 Leon has axed hundreds of jobs as it bemoaned a “challenging” year in which it wrestled with high cost inflation and depressed customer spending. The Asda-owned fast-food chain cut its headcount by 17 per cent, or 224, to 1,120 over the course of 2024, its latest accounts show, as it sought to bear down on [...]
Housing market ‘demonstrating remarkable resilience’ ahead of Autumn Budget September 17, 2025 House prices ticked up in July as Brits still showed a ‘good appetite’ for home ownership despite affordability challenges and uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget. Average house prices increased 2.7 per cent to £292,000 in England, two per cent to £209,000 in Wales, and 3.3 per cent to £192,000 in Scotland in the 12 [...]
Inflation: Brits ‘paying the price for years of poor economic management’ September 17, 2025 Inflation hit 3.8 per cent in the year to August, according to official data, sending a warning to Bank of England officials ahead of a crucial interest rate vote on Thursday. The previous reading for inflation in July was 3.8 per cent, with the August figure likely to confirm Bank of England rate-setters will vote [...]
Firms continue to shed workers as jobs market deteriorates September 16, 2025 The collapse of the UK jobs market has deepened, according to official data, undermining the Labour government’s goal to boost employment. Firms continued to shed workers as the number of payrolled employees dropped by 6,000 in July, adding to a collapse of 142,000 over the year. Provisional estimates suggest there was a fall of 8,000 [...]
City AM Shadow MPC votes 8-1 to HOLD interest rates September 16, 2025 Leading economists from academia and the City have voted 8-1 for interest rates to be held at four per cent in City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) ahead of the Bank of England’s own decision this week. Top analysts, who expressed views independently of their organisations, have said that stubborn inflation above the Bank [...]
Food inflation to spike as suppliers can ‘no longer absorb’ costs, FDF warns September 15, 2025 Food and drink inflation could climb to 5.7% by the end of the year thanks to cost pressures on manufacturers “trickling down” to supermarket shelves, a leading industry body has warned. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said current prices were “steeper than anything in recent decades”. The group – whose members make a quarter [...]
Bank of England predicted to not cut interest rate until 2026 September 12, 2025 Interest rate cuts are unlikely to take place this year, according to some of the most dovish forecasters, with City analysts split on where they will settle given the UK’s battle against high inflation and low growth. The Bank of England is set to hold its next monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting next week, a [...]
Carlton Club in the red as it counts the cost of Labour’s victory September 11, 2025 The Conservative Party stronghold, the Carlton Club, has fallen into the red as it counted the cost of Labour’s victory in last year’s general election. The private members’ club, which was the original home of the party, said it lost out on revenue after “functions declined due to the cancellation of political events following political [...]