Spring statement: Record fall in living standards under current parliament March 24, 2022 UK living standards will fall quicker over the course of this parliament than any other since records began, reveals fresh analysis released in the wake of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spring statement. The typical non-retired household is forecasted to be two per cent worse off by the time of the next election in 2024, according to [...]
Rishi Sunak has shown his true colours by hiding stealth tax rises in the detail March 24, 2022 Don’t be fooled, Rishi Sunak is a fiscal conservative first, and a low-tax conservative second. This was a tax-cutting spring statement, but as the Office Budget Responsibility (OBR) pointed out, on balance Sunak has been a tax-hiking Chancellor. In fact, the net cut to personal taxes introduced at the Spring Statement offsets “just over a [...]
Cost of living squeeze already biting UK economy as experts warn worst is still to come March 24, 2022 The damage the cost of living squeeze is inflicting on UK households is already starting to weigh on the economy as top forecasters warn the worst effects of spiralling living standards are yet to come. A fresh flurry of data released today revealed consumers are slashing spending to alleviate pressure on their finances caused by [...]
Sunak’s decision to hike national insurance while cutting income tax is ‘indefensible’ March 24, 2022 Top economic forecasters today slammed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision to push ahead with the national insurance tax hike while cutting the basic rate of income tax as “indefensible”. All of the windfall households will receive from lower income tax bills will be offset by fiscal drag and a 1.25 percentage point national insurance uplift and [...]
Potatoes are off the table with higher gas bills March 24, 2022 Yesterday, after the Chancellor unveiled his spending review, food banks pushed back as grim figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility warned of the biggest fall in household’s disposable incomes since records began. Richard Walker, the Managing Director of Iceland, gave a stark warning. He told the BBC that some food bank users were declining [...]
Plastic manufacturing firm Robinson is ‘seeking substantial price increases from all customers’ March 24, 2022 Plastic manufacturer Robinson is “seeking substantial price increases from all customers” due to soaring input costs. The Chesterfield-based company took in £46m in the last 12 months, up from £37m in 2020, but its operating profit fell 56 per cent to £1.2m, from £2.7m. The company, which made a loss before tax of just £100,000, [...]
Rishi Sunak admits Brits face ‘challenging and uncertain’ times after Spring Budget March 24, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said the country is facing “challenging and uncertain” times after official forecasters predicted the biggest fall in living standards on record. Following his spring statement on Wednesday, the Chancellor insisted the Government was “on the side of hard-working families”. But Labour said that he had done nothing to tackle the cost-of-living [...]
Poverty looms for 600,000 Brits after Spring Budget as benefits fall behind inflation and tax jumps March 24, 2022 Around 600,000 people will be pulled into poverty, of which around a quarter are children, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. In fact, families in poverty will be £446 per year worse off in 2022-23 compared to if benefits had been uprated in line with current inflation levels. Households in poverty [...]
As inflation pushes hospitality prices up, customers’ patience will also start to wane March 24, 2022 Last week I had the painful, and for many people, familiar experience of trying to contact an airline to redeem evouchers. Mine was a simple request but not one I felt an online chat would resolve. After navigating a tortuous route through a myriad of menus, I was informed that they were too busy to [...]
Fresh 30-year high inflation print wobbles London investors March 23, 2022 A fresh 30-year high UK inflation print wobbled London’s top indexes today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dipped 0.22 per cent to 7,460.63 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, fell 0.53 per cent to 21,001.62 points. Fresh data released today by [...]