FTSE 100 Live: Stocks fall as Trump ramps up pressure; Unemployment at four-year high January 20, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Thousands more Brits exited the jobs market in November as the estimated number of payrolled employees fell by 33,000. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the UK unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and hit 5.1 per cent in September [...]
Inflation expected to inch back up due to travel rush January 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to edge back up as higher airfares and tobacco prices are squeezing British families’ budgets and adding to pressures on the cost of living. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted consumer price index (CPI) inflation to hit 3.3 per cent rate for the year to December, which would be higher than [...]
UK economy grows more than expected but remains ‘fundamentally weak’ January 16, 2026 The UK economy grew more than expected in November last year but remained “fundamentally weak”, official data has shown, reflecting businesses’ nerves about Rachel Reeves’ Budget measures. New Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed growth in the UK economy inching up. Business analysts warned over several months that pre-Budget speculation had dampened spending and [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound January 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]
£13bn streaming boom defies sluggish UK economy January 7, 2026 The UK’s digital entertainment sector emerges as a rare diamond in the rough for a stuttering national economy, with revenues surging more than four times faster than sluggish GDP growth in 2025. Streaming services and retail drove UK revenues from video, music and games to new highs of £13.3bn, according to a recent report by [...]
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 [...]
‘Chance of 2026 recession’ despite interest rate cut – follow live December 18, 2025 Welcome back to the City PM 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 [...]
