UK inflation falls to 2.8% in boost for Rachel Reeves before spring statement
Bigger-than-forecast decline in annual rate in February is positive news for chancellor in run-up to Commons address UK inflation has fallen back to 2.8%, giving Rachel Reeves some positive news before she makes her spring statement. The Office for National Statistics said annual inflation as measured by the
Read More
The Guardian view on Rachel Reeves’s spending cuts: a choice, not an economic necessity | Editorial
The spring statement casts austerity as unavoidable, but Labour is clinging to economic myths while ignoring the tools of power The chancellor’s spring statement arrives with the sombre tone of inevitability. Britain, we’re told, must tighten its belt. Welfare payments for the sick and disabled will be shrunk.
Read More
Labour’s economic strategy is outdated. I can fix that | Jagjit Chadha
The last thing we need from Wednesday’s spring statement are incremental changes to tax and spending. Let’s have a clear plan Jagjit Chadha is professor of economics at Cambridge University and a former academic adviser to HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Treasury select committee Britain
Read More
Bank of England in no hurry on interest rates – but cuts will come
Despite the decision to hold at 4.5%, businesses and households can take a confident view of the UK’s prospects Bank of England says companies freezing hiring plans as it keeps interest rates on hold Bank of England policymakers might be on a “go-slow” as they look forward to
Read More
Bank of England says companies freezing hiring plans as it keeps interest rates on hold
Rate-setting committee also points to mounting global uncertainty as it pauses its cycle of reductions Business live latest updates The Bank of England has said UK businesses are freezing their hiring plans in response to Rachel Reeves’s tax increases and to mounting global uncertainty as it kept interest
Read More
UK pay growth remains high, making interest rate cut less likely
Unemployment was level in January, but has risen over the past six months Business live latest updates Pay growth remained high at 5.8% in the three months to January, according to official data, maintaining the pressure on Bank of England policymakers to keep interest rates elevated when they
Read More
Former Bank of England deputy warns Rachel Reeves against kneejerk cuts
Charlie Bean says OBR forecasts are ‘flaky’ and cautions against trying to hit targets five years away The former Bank of England deputy governor Charlie Bean has warned the chancellor against making kneejerk cuts in next week’s spring statement to try to hit fiscal targets that are five
Read More
Fear of a tariff ‘Trumpcession’ puts pressure on Bank and Fed over interest rates
A trade war could push up inflation when both the UK and US economies really need cheaper borrowing. So what’s a central bank to do? Monetary policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic will be considering how seriously to take Donald Trump’s threats of an all-out trade war
Read More
UK economy shrinks unexpectedly in blow to Rachel Reeves
ONS data showing 0.1% fall in GDP in January comes less than two weeks before chancellor’s spring statement Analysis: Shrinking economy an unhelpful backdrop for Reeves’s growth push Business live – latest updates The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in January, dealing a blow to Rachel Reeves before
Read More
Top City watchdogs drop new diversity and inclusion rules for firms
FCA and Bank of England’s PRA join retreat from efforts to help underrepresented groups, citing ‘regulatory burdens’ Peers working for City firms dominate Lords scrutiny panel FCA scraps plan to ‘name and shame’ UK firms under investigation Business live – latest updates The City’s top two regulators have
Read More