Quarter of a million people could lose job by middle of 2027 as UK ‘flirts with recession’, analysis says
current [five-year high of 5.2%](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/17/uk-unemployment-rate-ons-interest-rates), with almost 250,000 more people losing their jobs because of the crisis in the Middle East.
If the forecast is correct, that would increase