Coffee and sugar drive surging food inflation January 21, 2026 Sharp increases in the cost of coffee and sugar are behind the high rate of food inflation which is one of the drivers of the surprise inflation rise. The cost of food increased at a rate of 4.5 per cent in the year to December, overshooting the overall inflation rate of 3.4 per cent by [...]
No growth expected for November due to late Budget January 12, 2026 New GDP figures this week will show zero growth in the UK economy as weeks of uncertainty around the Budget weighed down on activity in November, according to economists. A Bloomberg poll of economists predicted the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to write in zero GDP growth in the second last month of the year. [...]
Britain stuck at bottom of G7 for total investment as Labour’s policies backfire December 31, 2025 Rachel Reeves has come under fire after fresh data revealed Britain was stuck in last place among the world’s seven largest economies for total investment. Public and private investment marked just 18.6 per cent of GDP in the three months to September, placing the UK last among the G7 nations. Whilst it is a trend [...]
‘Spectre of recession’ looms with growth set to dim in 2026 December 22, 2025 The government is facing a critical warning over the looming “spectre of recession” after economic growth stalled in the second half of 2025 and is expected to wane in the new year. On Monday, fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) downgraded the economy’s second quarter expansion to a sluggish 0.2 per cent [...]
Billionaire Labour backer says ‘business unfriendly’ Budget hit growth December 12, 2025 A billionaire backer of the Labour party has said the government’s “business unfriendly” policies have hit economic growth following another bleak release of data. John Caudwell, the founder of Phones 4u, said Labour “really need to change the tune of what they’re doing” to kickstart growth and appeal to businesses. It follows the latest release [...]
NHS must stop prioritising staff convenience over public health November 12, 2025 Falling productivity, striking doctors and a refusal to embrace new technology: the NHS is not run for 'us' at all, writes Paul Ormerod.
Productivity crisis deepens as public sector continues to stutter November 3, 2025 Public sector productivity has dropped at its fastest rate in nearly three years, according to fresh official figures that lay bare the government’s multi-year struggle to revive the efficiency of the country’s creaking public services. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed total productivity at state-owned bodies fell by 0.7 per cent year [...]
Manufacturing order books suffer sharp drop October 23, 2025 Manufacturing activity in October suffered a sharp drop amid high interest rates and uncertainty around the upcoming Budget, a new survey has found. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s latest industrial trends survey has shown that the total orders balance fell to minus 38. The CBI said September’s figure showed a score of minus 28. [...]
ONS: We know we need to do more to improve our data October 21, 2025 After calculation errors thwarted the publication of price indices in the spring, the ONS's James Benford explains how the institute has improved its dataset.
UK economy set for marginal August growth October 14, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have marginally grown in August after a sharp slowdown in activity in the second half of the year. A Bloomberg poll of economists suggests the UK economy is expected to grow by just 0.1 per cent over the one-month period, with a contraction of 0.2 per cent in the [...]