FTSE 100 Live: Stocks drop as Trump in ‘no rush’ to end Iran war; Retail sales jump on fuel rush April 24, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Donald Trump has slapped another extension on ceasefires in the Middle East following Wednesday’s intervention, where a previous deadline was set to expire. Just days ago, Trump said he was extending the ceasefire indefinitely as the deadline for strikes on Iranian power plants drew nearer. [...]
‘How long can the pain continue?’ Consumer confidence falls again April 23, 2026 Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years, as fears grow that the UK economy could be ravaged by soaring inflation caused by the Iran war. A closely-watched survey conducted by research firm GfK found consumer confidence dropped by four points to -25 in April. The index is another warning [...]
Inheritance tax receipts soar to all-time high April 23, 2026 Inheritance tax receipts soared to a record high over the last financial year as Labour’s targeting of property owners helped fund sweeping spending increases. Official data on Thursday morning showed that annual inheritance tax receipts rose to £8.5bn in the year between 2025 and 2026. This compared to total receipts of £8.3bn in the previous [...]
Watch: Sluggish economy puts Brits at their gloomiest for nearly 50 years April 23, 2026 Morning Wire‘s Editor, Christian May, reflects on recent polling that reveals Brits’ economic pessimism has reached depths not seen since 1978. From high taxes to sticky inflation and low growth, there is a strong sense that the country simply isn’t heading in the right direction.
UK services sector hit with record cost inflation spike after fuel prices surge April 23, 2026 Businesses recorded cost inflation at the highest level since the aftermath of Liz Truss’ chaotic mini-Budget in April as the consequences of the Iran war continued to ripple through the economy. A rapid increase in raw material prices led to a jump in costs for the manufacturing sector but the UK’s all-important services sector – [...]
The tax effect: Reeves borrowed less than OBR forecast April 23, 2026 Chancellor Rachel Reeves oversaw lower government borrowing than the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast in the financial year 2024 to 2025, it has been revealed, pointing to the effect sweeping tax hikes have had in narrowing the deficit. The Office for National Statistics has shown that government borrowing over the last financial year was £132bn [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks slump as oil rises; Reeves tax hikes trigger borrowing boost April 23, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. An extended ceasefire may have been announced in the Middle East, but its left markets with major appetite for further peace before investor sentiment recovers. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – was trading back over the $100 mark on Thursday morning. [...]
Back to the 1970s: Brits know the damage being done to our economy April 23, 2026 By late 1978 Britain was in the grip of what became known as the Winter of Discontent. Waves of strike action caused huge economic and social disruption as rubbish piled up on the streets and bodies went unburied. It was a crisis for the Labour government and a low point in Britain’s recent history. It [...]
UK workers suffer bigger tax hikes than any leading economy after Reeves’ raid April 22, 2026 Taxes on wages in the UK rose at a faster pace than any country tracked by the OECD as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ measures have squeezed people’s incomes. A new report by the OECD – the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – has found that taxes in the UK for single workers jumped higher than [...]
Economic optimism slumps to lowest level since records began April 22, 2026 Brits’ optimism in the state of the UK economy has fallen to the lowest level since records began in a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves, with the majority expecting the situation to get even worse. That’s according to new data from the latest Ipsos Economic Optimism Index (EOI), published the same day that the rate [...]