Britain’s productivity has been battered by the scarcity of affordable homes in cities February 15, 2022 Londoners are feeling the squeeze. The Bank of England has forecast the biggest annual fall in living standards for at least three decades: energy costs are surging, and rents are going up by 5.5 per cent. The high cost of housing leads to a worse quality of life in familiar ways, through lower disposable incomes, [...]
Rain Newton-Smith interview: Go for growth to turbocharge economic resilience April 22, 2022 Everyone knows the dismal time the UK economy is in for over the coming year – but let’s recap. Living standards are scheduled to fall at the steepest rate in 66 years as a result of wages failing to keep pace with an average annual inflation rate of over seven per cent, according to the [...]
UK economic headwinds cast shadow over Sunak’s cost of living support package May 24, 2022 A slowing UK economy will heap more pressure on the country’s finances, casting doubt over the scale of support chancellor Rishi Sunak will launch to help households through the cost of living crunch. That’s according to economists’ assessments of fresh borrowing figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). A combination of rising [...]
Bank of England hikes rates for third successive meeting in bid to catch rampant inflation March 17, 2022 The Bank of England today hiked interest rates for the third successive meeting for the first time since 1997 as it tries to catch up with rampant inflation that is threatening to derail the UK economy. Rate setters at Threadneedle Street sent borrowing costs 25 basis points higher, taking them to pre-pandemic levels of 0.75 [...]
UK banks return to amassing default reserves amid inflation and mortgage crunch October 26, 2022 Barclays said profits had jumped six per cent in the third quarter of the year as it became the latest lender to see performance buoyed by rising interest rates.
UK recession lurks around corner as thousands face extreme poverty without more support May 11, 2022 A recession in the UK is just around the corner and the economy will stay in the doldrums without a major policy overhaul, a top think tank warned today. Britain’s economy will contract in the third and fourth quarters of this year, meeting the grade for a technical recession, the National Institute of Economic and [...]
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 [...]
Zahawi: Nobody should have energy cut off this winter if they can’t pay their bills September 1, 2022 Nadhim Zahawi has said nobody should be cut off in the winter if they’re unable to pay their bills. Speaking on Sky News this morning during his tour to the United States, the chancellor accused Russia’s President Vladimir Putin of using energy “as a weapon”. This comes ahead of the conclusion of the Conservative leadership [...]
Near-four decade high US inflation print piles pressure on Federal Reserve to act January 12, 2022 Inflation in the US is roaring at the fastest rate since 1982, piling pressure on the Federal Reserve to act now to tame the soaring cost of living across the pond. Prices are seven per cent higher than they were a year ago in December, according to official statistics published by the US Bureau of [...]
Workers’ real pay erodes at historic pace despite huge wage rises November 15, 2022 Workers’ pay is still being eroded at a historic pace by rampant inflation despite employers hiking wages by one of the greatest amounts since records began, official figures revealed today. When taking off the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) preferred measure of inflation, pay excluding bonuses dropped 2.7 per cent over the last three months, [...]