National Insurance rise to be axed on 6 November, says Kwarteng September 22, 2022 This year’s hike in National Insurance will be axed from 6 November, Kwasi Kwarteng has today announced. The Treasury today said the move to reverse the 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance – which was originally brought in to pay for increased health and social care spending – will save businesses an average of [...]
Governor Bailey: Nothing different BoE could have done to prevent double-digit inflation May 16, 2022 Bank of England chief Andrew Bailey today defended his performance in overseeing “the biggest test” in the monetary authority’s 25 years of independence. Bailey, 63, said there was nothing else the Bank could have done to prevent inflation surging to more than five times its two per cent target in response to a grilling by [...]
Liz Truss: New government must demonstrate that politics can deliver September 7, 2022 Some time ago in an editorial meeting at City A.M.’s offices, just after the discussion of another major UK infrastructure project dumped on the back-burner, one of our more cynical staff members suggested that it might not be all bad for Britain to enjoy a benign dictatorship for a few years, driving through necessary but [...]
Bank of England to look through weaker growth and send rates to financial crisis levels February 16, 2022 The Bank of England will look through weaker than expected economic growth this year and send interest rates to levels not seen since the financial crisis, experts are betting. Zeroing in on eradicating rampant inflation in the UK at the expense of providing a floor for the economy will drive the Bank to launch the [...]
Sunak says Truss’ cost of living plan ‘won’t touch the sides’ August 8, 2022 Rishi Sunak has launched a fresh attack on leadership rival Liz Truss, saying today that her plan to make tax cuts next month won’t “touch the sides” for families facing a worsening cost of living crisis. Sunak said “bolder action” was required to “protect people from the worst of the winter” amid fresh predictions energy [...]
UK inflation poised to slip out of the double digits for first time since last summer April 16, 2023 UK inflation is poised to slip out of the double digits for the first time since last summer in what could be the beginning of the cost of living crisis gradually releasing its grip on families over the rest of the year. Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday are expected [...]
Sunak and Javid stand by NI rise days before it comes into place April 3, 2022 Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid have come out today to outline their support for this month’s hike in National Insurance, despite the growing cost of living crisis. Sunak said the £12bn-a-year increase in health and social care spending, which will come from the tax hike, was a “top priority” for the government. The chancellor said [...]
Inflation reaches 7 per cent as Brits fear cost of living crisis April 13, 2022 The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose seven per cent in the year to March, with Brits braced for sky-high price hikes across essential bills this spring. According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, the largest contributions to the increase came from motor fuels, with no large offsetting downward contributions. The [...]
Soaring inflation forces Brits to tighten belts on groceries as summer clothes, DIY and fuel sales pick up June 23, 2023 Brits are still splashing the cash amid soaring inflation, with retail sales estimated to have increased by 0.3 per cent last month off the back of non-food splurging. The main driver of sales was online, with non-store selling volumes up by 2.3 per cent, while food store sales were down by half of one per [...]
Autumn Budget aftermath: Economists warn Hunt piles pressure on ‘squeezed middle’ November 18, 2022 Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement has piled further pressure on the “squeezed middle” according to analysis from the Resolution Foundation that found tax rises would deliver a 3.7 per cent income hit to typical households. The think tank said the uprating of benefits in line with inflation would make a “huge difference to those on low-to-middle [...]