‘Chance of 2026 recession’ despite interest rate cut – follow live December 18, 2025 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. The Bank of England has handed Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Labour government a highly-desired Christmas present today. The central bank confirmed a chop to interest rates falling to 3.75 per cent – the lowest in nearly three years. It comes after inflation undershot expectations on Wednesday providing [...]
London house prices slump following Budget chaos December 17, 2025 London house prices have fallen by more than two per cent year on year, as Budget chaos took its toll on a volatile housing market. The average house price in London for October was £547,000, down 2.4 per cent from the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Property experts said this [...]
Interest rate cut likely after inflation undershoots expectations December 17, 2025 Inflation dropped far below market expectations in November, official data has shown, easing Bank of England doves’ nerves a day before a decision on whether to cut interest rates is revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said inflation hit 3.2 per cent in the year to November, staying well above the Bank’s 2 per [...]
Redundancies hit highest level since pandemic as unemployment climbs higher December 16, 2025 The UK unemployment rate jumped above the 5 per cent mark and redundancies surged to their highest level since the pandemic. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published damning figures on Tuesday morning that will likely send chills throughout the Labour government ministers ahead of the Christmas break. It said the number of payrolled employess [...]
Bank of England poised to slash interest rates December 13, 2025 The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to their lowest level in nearly two years at a crunch decision next Thursday. Markets and leading economists have priced in a cut to Bank Rate to 3.75 per cent amid fears activity in the UK economy is stalling and the [...]
‘Time to worry about recession’ – Bank faces pressure to cut rates as economy shrinks December 12, 2025 The Bank of England is coming under mounting pressure to give a shot in the arm to the ailing UK economy after fresh data revealed it suffered another contraction in October. The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet next Thursday where economists are pencilling a 25 basis point reduction to interest rates taking [...]
UK on ‘recession watch’ as economy contracts amid Budget chaos December 12, 2025 The UK economy shrank 0.1 per cent in October – the second consecutive month of decline – as businesses paused investments amid consistent speculation about upcoming tax hikes in Rachel Reeves’ second Autumn Budget. The latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) dealt another blow to the Chancellor’s growth agenda as new [...]
Budget chaos takes toll on October growth as ‘prospects remain poor’ December 9, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have grown by just 0.1 per cent in October as firms grappled with Budget speculation and uncertainty, analysts have said. A Bloomberg poll of City economists predicted the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will pencil in next to no growth for the month. The expected slowdown is set to [...]
Brain drain: Net migration plummets to pre-pandemic low as more Brits flee November 27, 2025 Net migration has fallen to a pre-pandemic low, official statistics have shown, as successive Tory and Labour governments have looked to tighten controls on visas. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said net migration dropped to 204,000 in the year ending June 2025, around two-thirds lower than levels a year earlier. The large fall [...]
Manufacturing output plummets at fastest pace since pandemic November 20, 2025 Manufacturing output in the three months to November dropped at the fastest pace since the pandemic, a new survey has found. Researchers at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that the balance reading for output volumes across industry was at the lowest level since the quarterly period to August 2020. The weighted balance reading [...]