Government interest bill hits highest ever level for a January February 22, 2022 The government’s interest bill swelled to its level ever for a January since records began in the late 1990s as inflation burns a hole in the UK’s public finances. The amount the government spent on servicing its debt hit £6.1bn last month, up £4.5bn over the last year, according to the Office for National Statistics [...]
Johanna Kyrklund: Putin and the Fed remind us what risk looks like February 22, 2022 Ski holidays are not relaxing at the best of times, especially with children. There is the fretting about injuries – I am thankful when we finish each day unscathed. There is the infuriation of getting children into their clothes and ski boots each day. That’s not even to mention the pain of Heathrow passport control. [...]
Public sector debt climbs to record £2.32 trillion: 94.9 per cent of Britain’s GDP February 22, 2022 Government borrowing hit a surplus of £2.9 billion in January, reversing a £2.5 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier, according to official figures published this morning. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector borrowing from the end of March to December was £138.5 billion – the second highest since records [...]
Motorists to be hit by fuel shortages as Exxon workers plan walkout February 21, 2022 Motorists could soon face fuel shortages as workers at the UK’s largest refinery have voted in favour of strike action over salaries. Around 100 workers at Exxon’s Fawley refinery will walkout starting from April after the oil giant decided offered a 2.5 per cent raise in salaries over the next two years, even though inflation [...]
Car dealers not repaying furlough money despite rocketing expected profits February 21, 2022 Car dealers are reportedly refusing to return funding provided by the government through furlough payments and business rates relief. The sector, which is expected to collectively post profits up to £1bn, will start paying both dividends back to investors and bonuses to managers and directors, a Times investigation reported. According to the outlet, dealership groups [...]
Law firms match investment banks in handing out UK’s highest graduate salaries February 21, 2022 The City of London’s law firms are now the UK’s highest paying graduate employers, according to new figures from High Fliers, which show UK law firms have now matched investment banks in offering graduates average salaries of £50,000 a year. The graduate salaries paid out by Britain’s major law firms are now on par with [...]
Letters: Back to the history books on the energy crisis February 21, 2022 [Re: We must end our dependency on Russia’s gas and embrace renewable, Feb 18] For an escalation to have a large and lasting impact on markets beyond Russia and Ukraine, it would probably have to result in a significant hit to energy supply (something which did not happen after the annexation of Crimea). In fact, [...]
Homebuyers flood back to London amid return to office February 21, 2022 Movers are flocking back to London as the spectre of the Covid-19 crisis over the capital’s housing market fades away, reveals fresh figures published today. The scrapping of restrictions on daily life to curb infections and the return to the office is driving homebuyers to put London back at the top of their desired locations. [...]
Rampant inflation to swell government’s interest bill once again February 20, 2022 Soaring inflation will swell the government’s interest bill to eye-watering levels, official figures released this week are expected to show. The cost of servicing the UK’s stock of debt has already broken several records in recent months, including hitting its highest ever level for a December at £8.1bn. Fresh figures published by the Office for [...]
Week ahead: City braces for more bumper banker bonuses February 20, 2022 Investors are preparing to comb through the details of British high lenders’ results this week for any clues that higher interest rates are goosing their bottom lines. UK banks’ earning season has been underlined by a jump in bonuses for top deal makers which are expected to continue this week. Barclays, the last remaining British [...]