Households face £900 hike to energy bills after Ofgem keeps price cap high at £3,280 February 27, 2023 Households face a painful hike to their energy bills, with support tapering off and the price cap remaining above £3,000.
Five things we learned from Tory conference: The return of Farage and Trumpification October 5, 2023 This week, top Tories, councillors, activists and party members gathered in Manchester for their annual get-together. With journalists also swarming the panel events, hotel receptions and late night bars, there was little that went unreported. But amid the not-so warm white wine, dodgy dance moves, and endless speeches, there were a few things that became [...]
UK borrowing falls as debt pile revised to under 100 per cent of economy July 21, 2023 The Government’s debt pile was bigger than the country’s economic output in June – the first time this has happened for more than 60 years, official data shows. Public sector net borrowing hit £18.5 billion last month, down from £20 billion a month earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. It pushed the total [...]
UK borrowing costs fall below US, Italian and Greek equivalents after Hunt mini-budget reversal October 18, 2022 UK borrowing costs have dropped below their European and transatlantic counterparts after new chancellor Jeremy Hunt tore up prime minister Liz Truss’s tax cutting mini-budget. Since Truss and her former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng decided to launch £45bn of unfunded tax cuts in a bid to boost economic growth, gilt yields have shot higher. Rates on [...]
Brexit: Barclay denies UK wants ‘Swiss-style’ relationship with EU November 20, 2022 A senior cabinet minister has denied reports the UK wants a closer “Swiss-style” relationship with the EU post-Brexit. Health secretary Steve Barclay has said he doesn’t “recognise” the proposal and that chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined “our determination to maximise post-Brexit opportunities in pro-growth areas” during his autumn statement on Thursday. The Sunday Times reported today [...]
Labour and Tory governments shun £500bn of investment for UK economy since 2000 March 30, 2023 Britain has missed out on £500bn of public investment this century as a result of successive Labour and Conservative governments trimming capital spending to balance the books, a new report out today claims. Since the turn of the millennium, the UK has injected around 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) of public investment [...]
Why is the UK economy poised to tumble into a recession and fall behind Europe, US and even Russia? February 16, 2023 Britain avoided a much-tipped recession at the end of last year. Phew. “However, we are not out of the woods yet,” warned Chancellor Jeremy Hunt after last Friday’s GDP figures from the ONS revealed the economy stagnated at the end of 2022, meaning it narrowly avoided the technical recession definition of two consecutive quarters of [...]
Rishi Sunak vows to lead with ‘integrity and humility’ in first statement as incoming PM October 24, 2022 Rishi Sunak has vowed to lead the UK with “integrity and humility” in his first address to the nation as incoming Prime Minister. Sunak warned the UK faces “a profound economic challenge” and said “I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together”. Sunak won the Tory leadership contest [...]
British Steel and Tata Steel must go green if given £600m bailout, climate groups say January 31, 2023 The UK's steel sector needs to be more ambitious in its targets after receiving a bumper handout in taxpayer cash, says Green Alliance.
Octopus calls on Ofgem to ease higher costs for non-debit customers January 30, 2023 Octopus Energy has urged Ofgem to end payment penalties sooner for standard credit customers as the cost of living crisis bites.