Government borrowing plummets thanks to rising tax take December 20, 2024 Government borrowing dropped to £11.4bn in November, £3.4bn lower than last year, as higher tax receipts and lower debt interest gave the government a much needed boost. With the lowest November borrowing in three years, the current budget deficit, or amount of borrowing to fund day-to-day public sector activities, also dropped by more than a [...]
Bank of England may be forced to prioritise growth in 2025 December 19, 2024 Despite inflation continuing to be a headache for the Bank of England, leading it to hold interest rates today, the central bank may end up being forced to make more cuts than it would like in 2025 to salvage the UK economy. While today’s decision from Andrew Bailey’s Monetary Policy Committee to hold rates had [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates and downgrades growth forecasts December 19, 2024 The Bank of England held interest rates at 4.75 per cent today, while downgrading economic forecasts for the UK towards stagnant growth. Only six members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep interest rates steady, less than had been expected, as three voted to cut rates by 0.25 per cent citing fears over [...]
Bleak midwinter for the economy? It could be worse… December 19, 2024 The political and economy outlook for the UK may seem gloomy, but spare a thought for our European counterparts, says Tim Sarson It’s the last working week of 2024 for many of us. I’ll be switching off the laptop on Friday afternoon and packing up for what I hope is a restful Christmas break, give [...]
Devolution will give London the powers it needs to thrive December 19, 2024 The government’s plans for a new era of devolution means three things for London, all of which have the potential for the better and for good, says Sadiq Khan When the late, great John Prescott outlined his vision for a Mayor to lead our capital, he said it would “provide a choice and a voice [...]
Brexit hit to UK trade not as bad as first thought December 18, 2024 The negative impact Brexit had on UK trade may have been softened by big firms adapting to EU barriers, fresh research from a top London university has shown. A report from the Centre for Economic Performance, linked to the London School of Economics, found that “in the short run, aggregate trade proved moderately resilient” to [...]
Inflation spike ‘raises questions’ over health of UK economy December 18, 2024 The spike in inflation to 2.6 per cent today has raised questions about the health of the UK economy, according to analysts. The news comes ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide the path of interest rates tomorrow, with markets agreeing that combined with higher-than-expected wage growth yesterday, a cut is off the [...]
Shoe Zone: Firm slams Budget tax hikes as it’s forced to close ‘unviable’ stores December 18, 2024 Shoe Zone has said it has been forced to close “a number” of stores following higher costs announced in the Autumn budget. The affordable footwear company said a combination of lower consumer confidence following the budget, plus “significant additional costs” due to the increases in National Insurance and the National Living Wage, have made the stores [...]
UK inflation spikes ahead of Bank of England rates decision December 18, 2024 UK inflation spiked to 2.6 per cent ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide interest rates later this week. Year-on-year inflation matched expectations of 2.6 per cent in November, up from 2.3 per cent in October, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed. Meanwhile, core inflation, which strips out volatile commodities like [...]
Strong wage growth kills hopes of interest rate cut December 17, 2024 Analysts have warned that strong wage growth data reported this morning has killed any chance that the Bank of England will cut interest rates later this week. While the central bank had been widely expected to hold interest rates at its Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Thursday, the decision has been cemented by wages rising [...]