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UK borrowing costs rise as Starmer speech fails to dispel investor ‘jitters’

economic growth. Reeves has sought to win back bond market investors’ confidence since [Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labour) came to power after Liz Truss’s short-lived government alarmed markets in 2022 with huge unfunded

More than half of Britons support rejoining EU 10 years on from Brexit vote

UK in a Changing [Europe](https://www.theguardian.com/world/europe-news), which has tracked Brexit for almost 10 years, said Labour’s own position betrayed inherent contradictions in its vision. “Economically, I don’t think it’s sustainable

Taxes on UK workers have risen at fastest rate in rich world, says OECD

sectors, which are among the most exposed to the tax rises, including hospitality, leisure and retail. However, Labour’s allies argue changes were necessary after years of sluggish pay growth and job insecurity for millions

'Britain at the heart of Europe': How Starmer's plans are going down in the EU

economic ties with the UK, there is a sense of weary cynicism in Brussels. On Monday, Starmer proclaimed that: "Incremental change won't cut it on growth, defence, Europe, energy - we need a bigger response

Next Scottish government faces ‘really difficult’ spending choices, economists say

growth, future health and social care cost increases and funding Scotland’s rising social security bill, which is forecast to be £1.2bn higher than its share of UK welfare spending by 2031. The Scottish

UK jobs market was in a fragile state – even before Iran war threatened recovery

UK workers are already likely to have been feeling the pinch. The data shows total annual pay growth in the three months to February at 3.8%, its weakest since autumn 2020, in the depths

The tipping point: what happens when deaths outnumber births?

growth would continue until 2096. “Although the point where there are more deaths than births is emotionally significant, it’s part of a long process,” said Dr Paul Morland, a demographer and author

UK construction firms face sharpest rise in costs in nearly 30 years

growth since January last year. Construction is one of the largest sectors of the UK economy, making up about 7% of GDP and employing more than two million people. A key promise of the Labour

What's happening to the UK economy and how does it affect you?

economic activity of companies, governments, and people in a country. In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes [new GDP figures every month](https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp). However, these can vary quite

More big energy users to get help as support plan expanded

UK businesses of all sizes and types paying up to 50% more for electricity than competitors in the EU and more than double the rate US businesses pay. The British Chambers of Commerce says four

Are parties being upfront about Scotland's finances?

sector pay to shrink back in line with levels in the rest of the UK could save almost £2bn a year. The SNP has maintained a policy of raising more from from higher earners since

UK unemployment shows surprise fall to 4.9% as pay growth drops to lowest in five years

sector pay growth slowed from 3.3% to 3.2%, which the Bank of England has previously said would be consistent with its target of getting inflation to 2%. The rate of inflation in March will

UK economy records surprise 0.3% growth in first month of the Iran war

sector. [Retail sales also rose in March,](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/24/retail-sales-rise-british-motorists-petrol-diesel) even when excluding the increased cost of fuel, according to the ONS. However, the Bank of England [warned last month](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/30/bank-of-england-leaves-interest-rates-on-hold) that

UK economy grew faster than expected in March

sector in the first three months of the year was driven in particular by strong performance in wholesale, computer programming and advertising. Liz McKeown, the ONS's director of economic statistics, said the construction industry

Barclays cuts back risky lending after £228m hit from UK mortgage firm MFS

sector. Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England and chair of the Financial Stability Board, [has described it as a “relatively opaque world”](https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2026/apr/09/oil-stocks-fall-fragile-ceasefire-middle-east-business-news) and stressed the need for transparency

Senior UK ministers deride Rachel Reeves’s reported plan of year-long rent freeze

UK ministers deride Rachel Reeves’s reported plan of year-long rent freeze Senior ministers have poured scorn on the idea of freezing private sector rents for a year, less than 48 hours after

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

sector, which includes retailers, finance firms and transport companies, makes up about 81% of the economy, with activity therefore closely watched by economists. Moore warned that the improvement “could easily prove short-lived”, however

Tax cuts and cost of living help proposed by Labour-linked groups allied to Streeting and Burnham

UK’s fiscal rules which determine how much the government can borrow and stripping the Treasury of its responsibility to deliver economic growth. In her essay, Haigh, the former transport secretary and a key ally

EU faces ‘China shock’ as EV imports drive Beijing’s record surplus with bloc

growth figures … since 2022”. Soapbox figures released last week showed that exports from the EU to China fell 16.2% in February, with pork shipments notably in decline. Although China imports

No 10 dismisses Reeves’s reported plan for freeze on private rents

UK [will be hit harder](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/14/iran-war-global-recession-imf-uk-growth-forecasts-oil-prices) than any other developed country by inflation resulting from the Iran war, which has shut down shipping lanes and sent the price of oil soaring. Experts