47 h. ago Another hammer blow for Rachel Reeves as government borrowing soared to highest outside Covid in April despite huge NICs raid on firms

Embattled Rachel Reeves saw the public sector rack up £20.2billion of borrowing last month, far more than the £17.6billion analysts had expected.

Politics

65 h. ago Experts reveal how you can protect your money from inflation after 'Awful April'

Inflation is back on the rise, with a shock jump arriving today. Financial experts gave us their top tips on what you can do to protect your wealth and income.

Economics

66 h. ago Why has inflation jumped higher and what does it mean for households?

Official figures showed inflation hit 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March and the highest since January 2024.

Economics

68 h. ago Examples of where inflation jumped in April – and where it eased

Gas and electricity both swung from negative annual inflation in March to positive annual inflation in April.

Economics

69 h. ago Inflation jumps to 3.5% deepening cost of living crisis for millions of Londoners

Worse-than-expected rise driven by ‘awful April’ bills hike takes inflation to highest level since January 2024

Economics

69 h. ago Pressure mounts on Chancellor as inflation races to highest for more than a year

Official figures show Consumer Prices Index inflation jumped to 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March.

Economics

2 d. ago UK inflation jumps to 3.5% driven by 'awful April' bill hikes in blow to Rachel Reeves

Worse-than-expected rise takes inflation to its highest level since January 2024 worsening the cost-of-living crisis

Economics

3 d. ago UK inflation jumps to 3.5% driven by 'awful April' bill hikes

Worse-than-expected rise takes inflation to its highest level since January 2024

Economics

3 d. ago UK inflation jumps higher than expected to 3.5% amid bills increase

Annual rise in April follows upturn in national insurance contributions and higher household costsInflation jumped in April by more than expected to 3.5% after dramatic increases in water bills, energy costs and council tax, according to official figures.A rise in employer national insurance contributions and a boost to the national minimum wage also put pressure on companies to raise prices last month by more than City analysts had forecast. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago There’s only one problem with Labour’s immigration plans: they’re completely untethered from reality | Jonathan Portes

The government’s new policy will take us back to an uglier, more dangerous place – and it’s not even supported by the dataHow do you reduce immigration while at the same time boosting growth? Labour’s recent immigration white paper sets out a supposedly clear answer. Since the recent “surge” in immigration was driven by the system shifting away from “higher-skilled migration”, it has “distorted the labour market” and undermined the UK’s productivity and GDP.This argument, which has been made in increasingly shrill tones by the rightwing press and thinktanks over the past two years, was echoed by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, who tweeted that “the Tories ran an immigration system that relied on cheap foreign labour”. It sounds plausible. There’s just one problem. It doesn’t fit the facts, and the government knows it.Jonathan Portes is professor of economics and public policy at King’s College London and a former senior civil servant Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Half of profit warnings in April cite trade tariff impact, reports finds

A raft of firms worldwide have sent out alerts over their profits since the tariff hikes were unleashed by Donald Trump on April 2.

Events

3 w. ago Grocery price inflation jumps to highest in over a year, figures show

Prices were largely driven higher by a 17.4% rise in chocolate confectionery prices in the four weeks to April 20.

Economics