Economic policy, taxation, public spending, business and employment.
UK construction activity contracted at its fastest pace since June as housebuilding recorded its steepest decline of 2026, S&P Global PMI data show.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readGovernment launches consultations on default retirement-income options and collective pensions for around 17 million private-sector savers.
Staff member · 4 min readNavantia UK opens the Resurgent Hall at Harland & Wolff Belfast as part of a £157m four-yard investment programme supporting three Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and 900 jobs and apprenticeships.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readMinisters launch a £700m programme to help bring forward six to ten stalled industrial sites, targeting up to £2bn in private investment.
Staff member · 3 min readChancellor John Healey declines to guarantee that Labour will equalise adult minimum wage rates before the next election, as the April 2027 hourly gap remains £1.94.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Chancellor says rising welfare spending must be reduced, but Downing Street has confirmed there is no fixed deadline for bringing the overall bill down.
Staff member · 2 min readResolution Foundation forecasts typical non-pensioner household incomes will fall £1,050 (3%) by 2028–29 despite the Autumn 2026 Budget.
Staff member · 2 min readIFS warns inflation and defence ambitions will squeeze departmental budgets, with the 2027 Spending Review a crucial test of the Chancellor’s plans.
Staff member · 2 min readThe OBR expects Labour’s Employment Rights Act to have a negative economic impact, but says the size is too uncertain to quantify in its forecast.
Staff member · 3 min readThe Treasury has announced more than £10 billion in additional support for Ukraine, including £500 million for air defences, World Bank-backed economic support and expanded export-finance capacity.
Staff member · 3 min readThe Chancellor has cancelled plans to reduce the Cash ISA limit to £12,000 for under-65s, keeping the £20,000 annual allowance for all adult savers from April 2027.
James Ashcroft · 2 min readThe National Living Wage will rise by 3.9% to £13.21 an hour from April 2027, with increases also confirmed for younger workers and apprentices.
Staff member · 2 min readEnglish mayors will receive a 20% share of business rates revenues from April 2027 as ministers unveil a fiscal devolution roadmap for local government funding.
Staff member · 3 min readThe OBR forecasts UK growth of just 1% in 2027, with inflation set to peak at 3.8% and real household disposable income per person falling in 2026–27.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readS&P has downgraded Thames Water to CCC- as the utility seeks £2.4bn in additional emergency financing and attempts to restructure approximately £20bn in debt.
Staff member · 2 min readThe Government sold £4.5 billion of gilts at an average yield of 5.036%, the highest for a comparable five-year auction since 2008, despite strong investor demand.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readBritain sold £4.5 billion of government bonds at an average yield of 5.036%, the highest for comparable five-year borrowing since 2008, ahead of Wednesday’s Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readShop price inflation rose to 2.1% in October, the fastest rate since February 2024, as retailers urged the Chancellor to address business costs ahead of the Budget.
Staff member · 2 min readMore than 90 Labour MPs are urging new industrial legislation, ministerial accountability and Manchester-based oversight to support the government’s reindustrialisation plans.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readNHBC figures show UK new home registrations fell 13% year on year in Q3 2026, with affordable and rental registrations down 23%, ahead of the Autumn Budget.
Staff member · 2 min readAlex Depledge says she will leave her Treasury advisory role after Wednesday’s Budget, criticising what she sees as insufficient attention to British scale-ups and innovative businesses.
Staff member · 2 min readThe Treasury plans a £1.5bn borrowing facility for English mayors from 2028, alongside £285m in Good Growth funding and £150m to build regional authorities’ capacity.
Staff member · 2 min readRobert Jenrick says Reform UK could cut £40 billion in its first year to finance tax reductions, including a £15,000 income tax personal allowance. The proposals are opposition plans, not government policy.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Treasury has confirmed plans to provide £20.4 billion in additional capital to the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank over roughly five years, ahead of the Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readFormer Goldman Sachs International co-chief executive Michael Sherwood has confirmed moving to Jersey and becoming tax-resident there, prompting criticism of government tax policy from the Conservatives.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readMinisters say regulatory reforms and extended tariff suspensions could save British businesses almost £800 million a year, with changes to company reporting and small-business paperwork.
James Ashcroft · 2 min readA National Audit Office report says HMRC was owed £43.8 billion by 8.2 million taxpayers at the end of 2025–26 and estimates that 46% of the balance may never be recovered.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readUK consumer confidence fell 11 points to -24 in October, its sharpest monthly drop since the early Covid pandemic, according to the GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer powered by NIM.
Staff member · 2 min readUK annual CPI inflation increased to 3.5% in September 2026 from 3.1%, with motor fuel prices the largest driver of the rise.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readUK public sector net debt passed £3 trillion in September 2026, while monthly borrowing reached £24.5 billion and exceeded the official forecast.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readFlutter Entertainment has announced proposals for up to 1,400 redundancies across its UK and Ireland business, attributing the restructuring to higher UK gambling taxes.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readUK vacancies fell to an estimated 691,000 in July to September 2026, the first reading below 700,000 since early 2021, according to new ONS figures.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readChancellor John Healey has backed the economic case for a third runway at Heathrow, contrasting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s refusal to endorse the proposal before further decisions.
Staff member · 3 min readThe IMF has urged Chancellor John Healey to consider welfare, pension and tax-system reforms before increasing taxes on banks ahead of the 28 October Budget.
Staff member · 3 min readMinisters have rejected a cross-party committee recommendation to extend employer National Insurance relief to all workers under 25, amid concerns over youth employment costs.
Staff member · 2 min readOfficial figures show UK GDP rose by 0.1% in August 2026, beating forecasts of a contraction, although construction and consumer-facing services weakened.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readResolution Foundation estimates the Chancellor’s fiscal headroom has fallen from £24bn to £12bn and recommends around £8bn in tax reforms ahead of the Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe IMF has raised its UK growth forecast for 2026 to 1.3%, but expects slower growth in 2027 and inflation to remain above the Bank of England target.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe IFS estimates that protecting departmental budgets and raising defence spending could require around £35bn in tax rises or benefit cuts.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe 10-year gilt yield touched 5.527% on 8 October amid a global bond sell-off, adding pressure ahead of John Healey’s 28 October Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Conservatives have unveiled a sweeping deregulation programme which they claim could cut the cost of a new-build home by up to £50,000, including abolishing the Environment Agency and Natural England as separate bodies.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readG7 countries have agreed an immediate coordinated release of 100 million barrels of emergency petroleum reserves over four months, including a front-loaded diesel release within the first 20 days.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham is to create Great British Grid, a new publicly owned body within Great British Energy intended to invest in electricity infrastructure and speed up grid connections.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readChancellor John Healey has pledged to stick to the Government's fiscal rules and said fiscal discipline will run through the 28 October Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Government is reviving the Help to Buy equity-loan model with a new scheme offering eligible first-time buyers 2.5% deposits and Government equity loans worth up to 20%.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readThe Government has announced a scheme offering eligible young people with disabilities or long-term health conditions a guaranteed paid job, with participation remaining voluntary.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Government has announced a new Insourcing Unit to drive what it calls the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation, alongside measures aimed at securing British jobs from utility investment.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham has declined to back a third runway at Heathrow, saying the views of Londoners should be heard before he takes a position on the project.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readMinistry of Defence figures show spending with UK industry and commerce reached a record £34.1 billion in 2025/26, up 3.2% in real terms.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Treasury Committee has launched an inquiry into whether the Bank of England’s monetary policy independence remains fit for purpose almost 30 years after it was introduced.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readThe Government has confirmed Manchester will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit on 27 and 28 November 2027, with world leaders gathering at Manchester Central.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe Treasury Committee has urged ministers to protect the independence of the Office for Budget Responsibility while recommending that the fiscal watchdog add a new 10-year forecast alongside its existing five-year outlook.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readUK public-sector borrowing reached £77.3 billion between April and August, placing it £8.1 billion above the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecast.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readThe Bank of England has held Bank Rate at 3.75% in a 6–3 vote but warned inflation could rise slightly above 4% in early 2027 as energy prices increase.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readMcLaren Automotive is investing around £500 million to expand its UK manufacturing and engineering operations, creating 1,000 jobs by 2032 and potentially supporting thousands more across the supply chain.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readUK CPI inflation rose from 2.9% to 3.1% in August as higher petrol, diesel and air fares pushed up prices, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readDowning Street says pensioners whose only income is the basic or new State Pension will not pay income tax on it during this Parliament, as the full new pension heads above the Personal Allowance.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readNew ONS figures show UK payrolled employment falling by an estimated 145,000 over the year as vacancies drop to their lowest level outside the Covid period in more than a decade.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readFormer Conservative chancellor George Osborne has renewed his call for Britain to rejoin the EU customs union, arguing the economy has suffered severe damage since Brexit.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readThe UK economy grew by 0.4% in July, significantly beating expectations for no growth, as services and computer programming helped drive the stronger-than-expected performance.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readUK government borrowing costs have surged, with 30-year gilt yields reaching 5.925% — their highest level since 1998 — adding pressure on Chancellor John Healey ahead of his first Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readBritain has sold £4.25 billion of 30-year Government debt at a yield of 5.8168%, the highest borrowing cost at any gilt auction or syndication since comparable Debt Management Office records began in 1998.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readThe British Chambers of Commerce has urged Chancellor John Healey to replace the state pension triple lock with inflation-linked increases, estimating the change could save £3.3 billion over two years.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readChancellor John Healey is unveiling a £150 million British Business Bank fund offering investments of £5 million to £15 million to fast-growing companies across the North of England.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readReform UK plans investor meetings in London and New York as Robert Jenrick pledges more than £100 billion of spending reductions in the party's first 100 days in government.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readJohn Healey is set to deliver his first major speech as Chancellor on Monday, with UK borrowing costs at their highest level since 2007 and pressure mounting ahead of the 28 October Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readChancellor John Healey says the 2027 Spending Review will set a target date for Britain to reach 3% of GDP on defence and a clear path towards the NATO core-defence commitment of 3.5% by 2035.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readA government cap preventing Plan 2 and Plan 3 student-loan interest rates from exceeding 6% has taken effect for the 2026/27 academic year, with ministers citing the risk of inflationary shocks linked to conflict in the Middle East.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readUK businesses now have full access to all 11 other CPTPP members after the agreement entered into force with Canada, completing Britain's accession to a trading bloc worth almost £13 trillion including the UK.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readKemi Badenoch has removed Sir Mel Stride as Shadow Chancellor and promoted Andrew Griffith to lead the Conservatives' economic team, with Claire Coutinho taking over the business brief.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readChancellor John Healey is reportedly considering windfall taxes on banks and oil companies as Treasury officials look for ways to plug an estimated £4.7bn gap in the public finances ahead of the October Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readThe UK borrowed £1.8 billion in July, £2.3 billion more than the OBR expected, adding to the pressure on Chancellor John Healey before October's Budget.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readBritain’s economy grew by 0.4% between April and June, but the Bank of England expects underlying growth to slow to around zero as renewed Middle East conflict, higher energy costs and Budget uncertainty test Andy Burnham’s new government.
Charlotte Mercer · 5 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham will begin a month-long tour of the UK on Monday, promising to listen to communities and announce further measures addressing living costs, consumer practices and struggling high streets.
Charlotte Mercer · 5 min readWhitbread has announced plans to close all remaining Beefeater restaurants, saying significant cost increases, including measures announced in the Government's Autumn Budget, have made the business unsustainable.
Staff member · 2 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues in England, with the Government saying nearly 32,000 businesses will benefit from the new relief scheme.
Staff member · 2 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham has stepped back from plans to increase the personal income tax allowance, citing the state of the public finances despite raising expectations during the Makerfield campaign.
Staff member · 1 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans to introduce a £2 cap on single bus fares across England from January 2027 as part of a wider package of cost-of-living measures.
Staff member · 1 min read