OECD: Growth to remain below one per cent as UK economy struggles with unemployment Economics What little growth the UK economy will experience this year will be fuelled by high government expenditure, according to the world’s top independent economic organisation. The OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for long, said public expenditure would “support the economy” even as consumer spending and business investment is set to weaken. The [...]
‘Twenty years of caution’: Banking industry ramps up efforts to fix ‘anaemic’ UK growth Banking The UK’s industry body for banking has stepped up its lobbying efforts for the government to improve “anaemic” growth figures and bolster the financial services sector. A new report published by UK Finance – the body representing around 300 firms that provide UK banking services – has issued a nine-point plan, which calls for “clear [...]
Booming Manchester outshines ‘stagnant’ London Economics Greater Manchester’s booming economy is outstripping the rest of the country and throwing into sharp relief the “stagnant” state London has found itself in since the 2008 financial crisis, according to a new report. As Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets out the productivity challenges facing the UK ahead of the Budget, new analysis from Oxford Economics [...]
Can Liverpool really add £10bn to its economy? October 13, 2025 The Labour mayor of the Liverpool City Region has unveiled a 10-year plan to create tens of thousands of jobs and add £10bn to the local economy. Steve Rotheram’s “bold and ambitious” plan has been described as a “roadmap” to increasing wages, driving investment, raising living standards and providing better services for the region’s 1.6m [...]
In Starmer’s Labour, it’s backbenchers that hold the power July 15, 2025 Labour needs backbenchers who fight for growth, not just block spending cuts, writes Michael Martins in today's Notebook.
UK GDP growth expected to slide after Awful April June 10, 2025 The UK economy is expected to have contracted in April as the double whammy of tax hikes and higher energy prices help reverse the 0.7 per cent growth gains seen in the first three months of the year. A Bloomberg poll of economists said City analysts are pencilling in a 0.1 per cent reduction to [...]
Andrew Bailey: Surveys point to weak UK economy June 3, 2025 Andrew Bailey has backed the Bank of England’s low growth outlook, highlighting dreary business surveys which indicate the UK economy looks set to weaken. In an appearance in front of the Treasury Select Committee, the Bank Governor said growth of 0.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year was a “good number” but [...]
IMF upgrades UK growth forecasts despite tariff turmoil May 27, 2025 The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecast for UK economic growth this year, despite warning that turmoil around US tariffs will stymie performance. The global body upgraded GDP growth predictions for the UK in 2025 to 1.2 per cent, up from the 1.1 per cent it had forecast last month. However, economists at the [...]
The £582m plan to create new UK economic powerhouse May 21, 2025 Plans to create a new economic growth zone in the West Midlands which is tipped to provide a £582m boost to the UK have been revealed. Land on the Wolverhampton/South Staffordshire border has been earmarked for ‘The Central Edge’ project while 14,700 jobs could be created. According to project leaders, the scheme would include 16.4 [...]
Westminster’s Everythingism problem: Why trying to solve everything all at once has ruined politics April 10, 2025 The belief that every policy can be used to deliver every other policy is rife in Westminster, and it's costing us real progress, writes Joe Hill.
