Back to the 1970s: Brits know the damage being done to our economy April 23, 2026 By late 1978 Britain was in the grip of what became known as the Winter of Discontent. Waves of strike action caused huge economic and social disruption as rubbish piled up on the streets and bodies went unburied. It was a crisis for the Labour government and a low point in Britain’s recent history. It [...]
How to tax in an energy crisis April 23, 2026 Whether the government wants to maximise North Sea oil extraction or home grown renewables, tax policy can help, says Tim Sarson Recent global events seem to have a knack of happening in places that send energy prices through the roof. Last time it was the loss of piped gas from Russia into Europe. Now it’s [...]
Government launches Britain’s largest ever retail investing campaign April 23, 2026 The government has unveiled its industry-backed push to encourage households to plough their savings into the stock market, in what is set to be the largest retail investing campaign of its kind in Britain’s history. Starring a red squirrel called ‘Savvy’, the Invest for the Future campaign will seek to “drive a step change in [...]
Economic optimism slumps to lowest level since records began April 22, 2026 Brits’ optimism in the state of the UK economy has fallen to the lowest level since records began in a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves, with the majority expecting the situation to get even worse. That’s according to new data from the latest Ipsos Economic Optimism Index (EOI), published the same day that the rate [...]
Food inflation rises as ‘storm clouds gather’ April 22, 2026 Food inflation has started to climb as industry figures warn “storm clouds are gathering” over potential double-digit food inflation later this year. The rate of food inflation climbed to 3.7 per cent in the year to March, up from 3.3 per cent year on year to February, according to the Office of National Statistics. This [...]
London house prices sink again as wealthiest areas hit April 22, 2026 House prices in London have fallen for the seventh consecutive month, as the capital’s luxury hot spots saw huge slumps in value. House prices dropped more than 12 per cent in Westminster – which includes in-demand areas like Mayfair and Knightsbridge – and 11 per cent in Kensington and Chelsea. The average house price in [...]
Barclays sweetens mortgage deals as interest rate decision takes focus April 22, 2026 Barclays has become the latest bank to wade into the flurry of mortgage rate cuts as lenders turn their attention to next week’s interest rates decision. The FTSE 100 giant cut rates across more than 20 mortgage products from Wednesday morning. It follows on from a slew of reductions from the likes of HSBC UK, [...]
Shoe Zone shares plummet as retailer kicks out at budget tax raids April 22, 2026 Shoe Zone shares plummeted after the retailer hit out at Rachel Reeves’ budgets for stifling consumer confidence, saying the chancellor’s policy and the Iran war will kick it into a loss this year. The firm’s share price slumped by more than 32 per cent on Wednesday’s market open, leaving the stock down more than 48 [...]
War propels UK inflation in new risk for interest rate hikes April 22, 2026 Inflation sped up in March, official data has revealed, giving the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee a headache as policymakers mull over whether to raise interest rates. Inflation jumped to 3.3 per cent last month as President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s war on Iran led to critical trade disruption across the Strait of [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jitter as inflation surges; Trump extends ceasefire April 22, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Inflation has surged this morning follow the outbreak of war in Iran. Fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown the consumer price index rose by 3.3 per cent in the 12 months to March 2026. That’s up from three per cent [...]