Property and the Spring Statement: Is anything going to change? March 24, 2025 Labour faces some tough choices with its Spring Statement: after increasing business taxes and public spending last autumn, the government now has to grapple with unhappy companies and a maxed-out credit card. The last budget was a mixed bag for the property market: there was widespread concern amongst landlords that the government would hike up [...]
Former City traders set for Supreme Court showdown March 24, 2025 Former City traders convicted of the rate-rigging scandal are now playing their last card this week by taking their case to the highest court
Add growth to Bank of England’s remit, Treasury told March 24, 2025 The Treasury has been urged to change the Bank of England’s remit to include growth after a new paper by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said a focus on nominal GDP would lead to “more stable” policymaking. The Bank is mandated to hit an inflation target of two per cent and sets interest rates [...]
Chancellor defends budget choices ahead of Spring statement March 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended the government’s recent budget decisions, claiming they were necessary for economic stability amid uncertain global conditions. In an interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Reeves emphasised the importance of making difficult choices to ensure long term fiscal responsibility. “There are always going to be costs for every choice you [...]
Chancellor rules out ‘tax and spend’ policies ahead of spring statement March 22, 2025 The Chancellor has ruled out “tax and spend” policies ahead of her spring statement next week. Rachel Reeves is under pressure to increase taxes or cut spending to meet the financial rules she set at the budget in October amid disappointing growth figures and higher-than-expected borrowing. Figures released on Friday came as a further blow, [...]
Who has played themselves into and out of the British and Irish Lions tour? March 21, 2025 If the Six Nations taught us anything it’s that picking a squad for this year’s British and Irish Lions tour to Australia is going to be very difficult. For some players a strong Six Nations has catapulted them from nobody to somebody, or from a fringe player into a starter. And for others it has [...]
OBR growth forecast ‘will be halved’ March 21, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ hopes for growth are set to be shattered as another forecaster looks to downgrade expectations. The Bank of England halved its growth forecasts from 1.5 per cent to 0.75 per cent in February while the OECD recently dropped predictions the UK would expand by 1.7 per cent. Now The Telegraph is reporting [...]
Consumer confidence ticks up but ‘little evidence’ of recovery March 21, 2025 Consumer confidence rose by one point in March as Brits became more pessimistic about their own finances but more optimistic about the UK’s. The overall effect was to push confidence up to -19 in March, from -20 in February and -21 in March last year. The index remained below its long-term average. “If consumer confidence [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates amid low growth and trade tensions March 20, 2025 The Bank of England has held interest rates at 4.5 per cent as worries over a global trade war flare up. Rate-setter Swati Dhingra, an external member on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), was the lone wolf who voted for a 25 basis point cut. The decision saw Catherine Mann split from Dhingra after the [...]
UK wage growth remains hot as Bank of England set to decide on interest rates March 20, 2025 Wage growth has continued to soar, new figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that annual regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 5.9 per cent between November 2024 and January 2025. Total pay growth, which includes bonuses, increased by 5.8 per cent. “Overall pay growth remains relatively strong, with pay growth high in [...]