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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

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

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

2026, GDP rose 0.6%, up sharply from growth of 0.1% in the final three months of last year. The ONS said that growth in the first quarter was “led by broad-based increases across

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

More big energy users to get help as support plan expanded

2026, the government said. The scheme will be funded through changes to the energy system and government expenditure, with no impact on domestic bills. The start of the war in Iran pushed

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

2026, up from £643m a year earlier. Last year, the British bank reported a [£110m loss over the US sub-prime auto lender Tricolor](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/22/barclays-plays-down-20bn-exposure-to-private-credit-industry), which collapsed [amid fraud allegations](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-10/subprime-auto-lender-tricolor-files-for-bankruptcy).

The tipping point: what happens when deaths outnumber births?

2026 onwards, driven by falling fertility and the large, postwar “baby boom” generation living longer than previous generations, but now reaching later life. The population is still expected to grow, but more slowly than previously

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

2026 customs data by Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics). The surplus for the whole of 2025 [stood at €360bn](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=China-EU_-_international_trade_in_goods_statistics&gsid=2bdf2815-5721-4737-94a7-288c68b5c843#:~:text=as%20background%20information.-,Recent%20developments,27.3%20billion%20in%20December%202024.&text=Figure%202%20compares%20EU%20trade,EU%20countries%20increased%20by%203.0%25.). The record was driven in part by [Europeans’ apparent unstoppable appetite

Rachel Reeves considering rent freeze to limit Iran war fallout

Economics Foundation thinktank, said: “We have an affordability crisis in the private rented sector, which dates back to before the pandemic. Other countries in western Europe already do this, and England used to from

From oil giants to banks - these companies are making billions from Iran war

economic impact of the war so far has been a surge in energy prices. Around a fifth of the world's oil and gas is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, but those shipments effectively

The city caught in the middle of the big energy shift debate

growth of renewables, such as upgrading the UK's electricity grid and speeding up planning for windfarms. "We need to build a bridge from the old North Sea to the new North Sea," argues Borthwick