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'Bit of pain' worth long-term security from Iran, Bessent tells BBC

impact on consumers would be less severe. Oil has risen close to $120 during the Iran conflict but has since fallen back, although it remains above pre-war levels, and [on Tuesday, a barrel

Starmer will not be swayed by Trump’s ‘small and petty’ insults, says Lammy

Iran, David Lammy has said, as he insisted the UK would not get dragged into the conflict. The deputy prime minister argued the US president should be able to “disagree agreeably” with allies rather than

Cut UK speed limits to reduce Iran war impact on consumers, thinktank urges

impact of the Iran war on consumers, a thinktank has said. Capping legal speeds at 20mph in towns and cities and 60mph on motorways would help reduce fuel demand and combat [soaring oil prices

UK firms halt investments and hiring as Iran war pushes up costs, bosses warn

Iran, leading surveys of UK employers showed companies were increasingly prioritising cost management over growth as rising costs and global uncertainty weigh on confidence. According to a survey by the accountancy firm BDO, more than

Faisal Islam: Burnham seeks to calm markets by committing to fiscal rules

UK to stick to the fiscal rules which continue to shrink government borrowing faster than other major economies. The main fiscal rules limit how much the government can borrow to fund day-to-day public

Rubio visits India to sell energy as Iran oil shock persists

war. Energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz - a narrow shipping lane that has become a flashpoint since Israel and the US attacked Iran in February - have virtually ground to a halt. Iran has used

Iran war: What’s happening on day 74 as Tehran says ready for ‘aggression’

Iran talks show both sides are “speaking past each other”, warning pressure tactics such as Strait of Hormuz disruptions could deepen the conflict, damage the regional economy and harden tensions into a prolonged “frozen conflict

Lloyds takes £151m hit from Iran war as it forecasts rise in UK unemployment

Iran war as it forecasts rise in UK unemployment Lloyds has warned that the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict could cost it £151m amid rising unemployment and inflation and a slowdown

No feelgood factor for Reeves as Iran war snuffs out economic upturn

Iran war has unleashed a fresh wave of inflation – with the latest data on this to come on Wednesday – and rocked business confidence. More timely employment data, using PAYE data from HMRC, suggest a more

UK unemployment unexpectedly rises to 5% as firms squeezed by Iran war

impact of the Iran war. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment was up in the three months to March, from 4.9% in February, a rate that City economists had expected

US talks between Lebanon and Israel end – as it happened

UK, Australia and others have condemned the killings of UN peacekeepers in [Lebanon](https://www.theguardian.com/world/lebanon) and called for an end to hostilities.** “Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Switzerland

Finance leaders warn over Mythos as UK banks prepare to use powerful Anthropic AI tool

impact. Anthropic, which has so far [limited the release](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/08/anthropic-ai-cybersecurity-software) of the new model to a small clutch of primarily US businesses, including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, said it would expand that

UK firms in ‘critical financial stress’ jump by a third as costs rise, report finds

impact of the Middle East conflict. Hospitality and leisure firms have been faring particularly badly because of shaky consumer confidence, and rising taxes and staff costs, according to research by the restructuring company Begbies Traynor

Airlines and companies using fuel surcharges to cover surge in costs, UK survey shows

economy, with activity therefore closely watched by economists. Moore warned that the improvement “could easily prove short-lived”, however, as new business remained subdued compared with the start of the year, with the Iran war

Middle East crisis live: US claims blockade has ‘completely halted economic trade’ into Iran, as Trump hints at return to talks in Pakistan

UK prime minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron will co-host a summit in Paris on Friday focused on efforts to reopen the strait of Hormuz,** Downing Street said. A spokesperson said

Faisal Islam: Six things we now know about the UK economy in charts

Iran War, so it is interesting to compare the UK with the rest of the G7. It is currently the fastest growing of these major economies - while Japan has not yet reported, its growth figure

UK house prices jump despite impact of Middle East conflict

impact of Middle East conflict House price growth in the UK has surprised estate agents and economists by jumping in April at the fastest annual pace in 11 months, according to [Nationwide](https://www.theguardian.com/business/nationwide).

UK could face gaps on supermarket shelves by summer if Iran war continues

UK is one of Europe’s largest users of CO2. In March, Kyle said the government would invest £100m to [reopen the mothballed Ensus bioethanol plant](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/26/uk-co2-plant-to-reopen-amid-fears-iran-war-could-lead-to-shortage) on Teesside over fears that

Friday briefing: How Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have found themselves caught in an escalation without end

economies falter, and displacement abounds. For those in the region, it means that having your bag packed, ready to flee by bus, car or even on foot to a safer place – maybe

Mortgages, bills and jobs: Five takeaways from the Bank of England meeting

economy. Here are five key takeaways. Not that long ago, most economists were expecting interest rates to fall this year. The Iran war changed that. Although the Bank [held rates this month](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7p89mp2rjo),