The government was scrambling on Saturday night to reassure Britons that rising gas prices would not plunge the country into an energy crisis, as ministers held a series of emergency meetings with energy companies and regulators to establish whether the...
Business groups reacted with dismay to the government’s national insurance hike and surcharge on dividend income to boost health and social care spending from next April, calling it a tax on jobs and a blow to the economic recovery. The British Chamber...
Private companies that sell Covid-19 tests to holidaymakers have been told to “get on the right side of the law” by the competition regulator, after widespread allegations of poor service triggered a government crackdown. Days after the health secretary, Sajid...
Rail fares in England and Wales are on track to rise at their fastest rate in a decade unless ministers decide to prevent steep price increases to encourage commuters back on to trains. Annual increases in rail fares are usually...
Growth in Britain’s dominant service sector has slowed to its weakest since March after businesses were hit last month by a triple whammy of bottlenecks, workers self-isolating and a less generous tax break for homebuyers. The latest monthly health check on UK...
The world economy risks losing $4.5tn (£3.3tn) from highly infectious variants of Covid-19 spreading through poor countries where vaccination rates are lower, the International Monetary Fund has warned. Calling on rich countries to take urgent action to share at least 1bn doses...
The prospect of early Bank of England action to counter rising inflation has moved closer after a second Threadneedle Street policymaker within 24 hours made the case for a tougher stance. Michael Saunders, one of eight members of the Bank’s monetary policy...
The government faces an "increasingly risky" situation as debt has soared and the cost of Covid mounts, the fiscal watchdog says. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility said government debt now stood at some £2.2 trillion or 99.2% of GDP -...
It used to be that demand for homes centred on the proximity to good schools, or how close they were to a nice restaurant or pub. Now, before they sign on the dotted line, homebuyers want to ensure they can...
Britain’s economy surged ahead in June as private-sector businesses secured extra work and created thousands of new jobs, but analysts warned the boom could be short-lived if shortages of skilled staff and hold-ups to vital supplies continue into the autumn....
