The UK rate of inflation fell to 8.7% in April from 10.1% in March, according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The fall has been attributed to energy price rises slowing from their hikes in 2022. The rate at which grocery prices rose slowed marginally in the year to April, but at 19.1% is close to record highs. The ONS said that while food pri ...

The UK narrowly avoided falling into recession in 2022 after the economy saw zero growth between October and December, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Although the economy shrank between July and September, a recession is defined as when the economy contracts for two consecutive three-month periods. Over 2022, GDP grew by 4%, com ...

The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme will be extended by a year to the end of December 2023, helping people with 5% deposits on to the property ladder, the UK government has announced. Under the scheme, the government offers lenders the financial guarantees they need to provide mortgages that cover the other 95%, subject to the usual affordability checks, on a house worth up to £600, ...

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised UK interest rates by half a percentage point to 3.5%. It is the ninth consecutive increase and takes the base rate to its highest level for 14 years as the Bank battles to stem soaring prices. The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 6-3 in favour of putting rates up by 0.5%. The BoE also warned that further increases may be necess ...

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced that the Spring Budget will be delivered on 15 March 2023. Mr Hunt stated that he has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare an economic forecast to accompany the Budget. The Spring Budget will be the Chancellor's second fiscal event, following November's Autumn Statement. Mr Hunt used the Statement to reverse m ...

The rate of inflation rose to 10.1% in September as the economy felt the effects of rising prices and the fallout from the Mini Budget, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS said the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure rose from an annual rate of 9.9% in August to match the recent 40-year high seen in July. The report showed that the largest upwards c ...

The Chancellor must act at the Spring Statement or risk the UK economy drifting backwards to low growth, warns the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The Spring Statement will take place on 23 March 2022. The CBI has set out a range of policies it says are aimed at sparking growth via business investment. These include a permanent investment incentive to replace the sup ...

The Chancellor has announced a £1bn support package including grants for the hospitality sector and a sick pay rebate scheme as omicron variant spreads Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100m discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support o ...

A single person will need post-tax annual income of £10,900 for a minimum standard of living in retirement, according to the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA). The minimum retirement living standard is based on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Minimum Income Standard and covers a typical retiree's basic needs plus enough for some social activities, such as a wee ...

HM Treasury has announced that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will deliver the Autumn 2021 Budget on Wednesday 27 October. On 7 September the Chancellor launched Spending Review 2021, which will conclude on 27 October and will be presented alongside the Autumn Budget. The Spending Review will outline government departments' resource and capital budgets from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The Sp ...