Iceland in the red as Rachel Reeves’ tax raid forces prices higher August 8, 2025 Iceland has warned it is being forced to increases prices because of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax raids as the supermarket chain fell into the red. The Flintshire-headquartered said that while it is “doing our utmost” to offset increasing costs arising from last year’s Autumn Budget, it will “inevitably have to pass some of these on [...]
Bank of England: Future of interest rate cuts now ‘more uncertain’ August 7, 2025 The future of interest rate cuts is now “more uncertain” as the Bank of England suggested it was more worried about inflation ticking up higher than expected. In its decision on Thursday, the Bank voted 5-4 for interest rates to be cut by 25 basis points to four per cent. But the Bank now believes [...]
Bank of England cuts interest rates in historic vote August 7, 2025 The Bank of England has cut interest rates to four per cent in an unprecedented double vote as Monetary Policy Committee members clashed on the impacts of a crumbling jobs market and higher food prices. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members were told to vote a second time after four members voting for a 25 basis [...]
House prices rise ahead of key Bank of England rate decision August 7, 2025 House prices rose at their fastest pace since the start of the year in July, as buyers shake off concerns about higher property taxes and push ahead with purchases. Prices rose 0.4 per cent in June, according to the latest index from Halifax, with the average property price now £298,237 compared to £297,157 last month. [...]
LIVE: Bank of England cuts interest rates to four per cent August 7, 2025 The Bank of England has slashed interest rates to the lowest level in more than two years at four per cent. The decision to cut rates from 4.25 per cent comes after members were told to vote for a second time after facing a split decision. It follows the Bank’s chief economist, Huw Pill, telling [...]
Investors should steer clear of Ed Miliband’s clean energy auction August 7, 2025 Labour’s upcoming AR7 renewable energy auction risks locking in higher energy costs for decades, as political support for net zero falters and public resistance to green subsidies grows, says Maurice Cousins Today applications open for the government’s latest renewable energy auction, Allocation Round 7 (AR7). In Whitehall, it is just another technocratic acronym. But for [...]
Official statistics have become useless August 7, 2025 The pandemic has exposed the shortcomings in how we measure everything, from inflation to GDP to jobs, says Helen Thomas Statistics haven’t quite kept pace with the world they’re meant to measure. Designed for an economy of assembly lines and cheque books, many of today’s headline figures feel increasingly out of step with a digital, [...]
How the Conservatives can become the party of millennials like me August 7, 2025 Millennials make up the largest age cohort in many of the areas where the Conservatives need to shore up support. To win us back the Tories need answers on the cost of living, housing and tax, says Jamila Robertson Millennials are often given a hard rap – scoffed at as snowflakes by Boomers, and as [...]
Mortgage recovery hinges on a Bank of England interest rate cut August 6, 2025 Homeowners across the UK are catching a break as mortgage arrears fell for the first time since the cost-of-living crisis began – but a full recovery will hinge on the Bank of England’s decision on Thursday. Missed mortgage payments in the second quarter fell by 4.4 per cent across the UK, whilst direct debit rejections [...]
Over 50s mortgages help LiveMore turbocharge growth August 6, 2025 According to Legal & General Mortgage Services, which is involved in around a third of all mortgage transactions in the UK, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of over-50-year-olds applying for mortgages. Rising house prices, coupled with increasing longevity, have pushed the average age of the first time buyer to 33, with [...]