Exclusive: Former Bank of England policymaker calls for interest rates to be held amid high inflation April 10, 2025 A former Bank of England rate-setter has suggested that high inflation levels call for interest rates to be held at 4.5 per cent in May. The majority of investors and analysts are expecting the Bank to cut interest rates next month to ease low growth concerns, with up to three more cuts priced in until [...]
City slashes UK growth forecasts radically in wake of Trump tariffs April 9, 2025 City forecasters have radically cut UK growth forecasts as President Donald Trump’s tariffs are widely expected to cause great damage to the global economy. Markets across Europe are sliding again today after tariffs came into effect, a clear sign that economists and investors are fearing hits to profit. New research by the polling firm Consensus [...]
Tariffs could destabilise UK financial system, Bank of England warns April 9, 2025 President Donald Trump’s global trade war is likely to destabilise the UK’s financial system, but the Bank of England has said banks will be able to cope with the shocks. The Bank’s policymakers also warned that the break-up of global trade would lower resilience and depress growth. The Financial Policy Committee (FPC), which monitors risks [...]
UK firms overpaying billions in corporation tax, research finds April 9, 2025 UK firms overpaid £14.2bn in corporation in the last tax year, according to research by a leading accountancy firm
Net zero no longer a priority for SMEs April 8, 2025 The majority of small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) have sidelined net zero practices, according to a survey of around 500 business owners, in signs that net zero policies are increasingly falling out of fashion. President Donald Trump’s abandonment of Biden-era green policies has driven a global trend that is seeing firms and governments move away [...]
Reeves held responsible as marginal growth expected April 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has had to watch the UK economy trudge along since she took up residence at 11 Downing Street. But even more bad news has been forecast to come before another lot this summer, and potentially no better news later this year. This Friday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is poised to [...]
Reeves to meet US Treasury Secretary ‘shortly’ in trade deal race April 8, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she plans to meet US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent as President Donald Trump is yet to offer allies any reprieve from his tariff policy. The UK is facing ten per cent tariffs on its goods exports to the US, putting the government under pressure to agree a deal that protects [...]
Trump threatens 100 per cent tariffs on China April 7, 2025 President Donald Trump has threatened to slap additional 50 per cent tariffs on China if it doesn’t withdraw its retaliatory measures, pushing the possible level of tariffs it faces on exports to the US to over 100 per cent. In a post on Truth Social, the US president said retaliatory Chinese tariffs on US imports [...]
Four interest rate cuts this year pencilled in by markets April 7, 2025 Markets are betting that the Bank of England will make up to four interest rate cuts this year, double what had been predicted in late March. President Trump’s tariffs are set to drag UK growth back by up to one percentage point, according to various forecasters, while their impacts on inflation remain ambiguous, leading investors [...]
Trump’s tariffs to push UK prices up, survey suggests April 7, 2025 Tariffs will significantly harm British exporters that trade with the US, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), as a global trade war risks battering the UK economy. President Trump today doubled down on his controversial economic policies that include a ten per cent tax on all UK goods exported to [...]