Ireland to keep European economy out of a recession as Britain gets left behind February 13, 2023 Europe is poised to swerve a recession this year in a massive U-turn from warnings of blackouts sweeping across the bloc, with GDP powered by Ireland, new forecasts out today claim. Growth in the European Union (EU) will hit 0.8 per cent this year, an upgrade from the just 0.3 per cent forecast last autumn, [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index bumps higher ahead of key inflation and wage numbers February 13, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 kicked off the week in busy fashion today ahead of a busy week of data that will provide more clues on the health of the UK economy. The capital’s premier index closed 0.83 per cent higher today at 7,947.60 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with [...]
Brexit delivered £1,000 blow to every UK household, Bank of England rate setter Haskel claims February 13, 2023 The sharp reduction in business investment after Brexit has dealt a £1,000 blow to every UK household, a rate setter at the Bank of England has claimed. Speaking to The Overshoot, Jonathan Haskel, an external member of the monetary policy committee (MPC), said that the “productivity penalty” caused by a huge drop in capital spending [...]
‘Lavish’ spending culture of government ministers including £345,000 ‘restaurant and bar’ bill revealed February 13, 2023 Ministers are accused of overseeing a “lavish spending” culture in Whitehall with taxpayers’ money wasted on luxury items, after Labour analysis of government procurement cards. Concerns were raised over alcohol and dining purchases by the Labour Party including almost £345,000 by foreign office officials in 2021 under the heading “restaurants and bars”, as well as [...]
Record price rises force Brits to change Valentine’s day plans and cut back on dating February 13, 2023 In a bid to spend less, some 17 per cent of the public have revealed that they are committed to going on fewer dates and a further 13 per cent have confessed that they are now on the hunt for a more financially stable partner.
UK firms cut back on hiring as rising costs hit business optimism February 13, 2023 British firms have begun cutting back on hiring as services businesses suffered a hit from the UK’s cost-of-living crisis, new research from BDO shows. Hiring has fallen to its lowest levels since December 2021, following a sharp drop in business output over the previous year, data from BDO’s business trends report shows. UK business output [...]
Pub insolvencies jump 83 per cent as rising energy bills force them to shut up shop February 13, 2023 Britain’s pubs are at “breaking point”, hospitality chiefs have warned, after new figures reveal that the number of pub and bar insolvencies has risen 83 per cent in the last year. According to data published by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, some 512 pub and bar companies went bust in 2022, up from 280 the [...]
UK banks set to report record profits of £37bn beating pre-financial crisis highs February 13, 2023 The UK’s top banks are set to unveil record profits in the next two weeks after sharp interest rate hikes boosted the lenders’ coffers last year. The big five FTSE 100 banks – Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and Standard Chartered – could post cumulative pre-tax profits of £37.4bn as they reveal their earnings for 2022, [...]
Cost of living crisis could drive the Bank of Mum and Dad bust, life office warns February 13, 2023 The wealth of parents who have been supporting their ‘adult’ children could be about to dry up, a life office has warned. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), £17bn a year is gifted or loaned annually, almost all from parents to adult children But Canada Life said its survey found that almost half [...]
Make childcare cheaper to tackle UK’s talent crunch, business lobby says February 12, 2023 The UK government should make childcare more affordable to help ease the country’s labour shortages, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said. In the upcoming Spring Budget, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt should set out plans to help “cash strapped” parents pay for childcare, the business lobby group said. It warned talent shortages are holding [...]