Roaring jobs market steps up case for another Bank of England rate hike March 15, 2022 A roaring jobs market in the UK is stepping up the case for another rate hike by the Bank of England on Thursday. Strong demand for workers rubbing up against weak labour supply is intensifying inflationary pressures in the jobs market, demonstrating the UK economy is ready for more rate hikes, according to economists. The [...]
Spending cool down weighs on London-listed supermarkets April 12, 2022 Early signs of consumers pulling back on spending drove supermarkets lower today in the City, dragging down London’s top indexes. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.55 per cent to 7,576.66 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250, which is more aligned to the health of the UK economy, fell by the same amount [...]
Brace yourselves, the era of the ‘alternative budget’ has arrived November 20, 2023 It started when Liz Truss’s faction of 60 or so MPs, who go under the banner Conservative Growth Coalition, pre-announced – to drum up anticipation – and then two months later published their Budget for Growth.
Does raising interest rates actually bring down inflation? June 22, 2023 Britain’s inflation problem is looking much harder to solve than first thought. Numbers out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday revealed the rate of price increases was unchanged in May at 8.7 per cent. The City thought it would slim to 8.4 per cent. Core inflation – the best barometer of underlying price [...]
Lost decade of growth leaves Brits nearly £9k worse off than French and Germans July 13, 2022 Anaemic economic growth since the financial crisis has left the average UK household £8,800 worse off compared to families in Germany and France and other comparable countries, reveals a study published today. Widening income gaps between Britain’s poorest and richest, compounded by flatlining productivity growth since the financial crisis, has led to families missing out [...]
‘Real pay cut by 12 per cent’: Firefighters threaten to strike after angrily rejecting 2 per cent pay offer June 28, 2022 A firefighters’ union leader is warning of strikes after reacting angrily to a 2 per cent pay offer. The executive of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is recommending rejection of the offer, which it said is well below the soaring rate of inflation. Between 2009 and 2021, firefighters’ real pay has been cut by 12 [...]
Property and rent price rises speed up as low stock and inflation grip households July 20, 2022 The pace of property and rental price rises in the UK has sped up, according to the latest figures, as a cost of living crisis shrinks household budgets. Rents in the UK rose by three per cent in the year to June, up from 2.8 per cent in the 12-months to May. House prices increase [...]
Tax Spotlight: How the jump in national insurance will affect you and your household April 6, 2022 As Brits try to juggle surging living costs on a shrunken wage packet, experts have warned the pain of the rise in national insurance will be felt by people on their next payday, Here is a look at why the increase is happening and why “awful April” is seen as just the start of a [...]
Gender pay gap barely budges in past year while wage growth reaches record annual levels November 1, 2023 The gender pay gap for full-time workers has barely changed over the past year, new figures suggest.
Britain hurtling toward long economic slump and record living standards squeeze September 6, 2022 Britain is sinking into a long economic slump that will deal the biggest hit to household finances on record, a new report released today shows. A historic inflation surge led by sky-high energy bills is set to tip the country into a recession this year, wiping off £2,000 of Brits’ real take home pay, according [...]