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The UK's jobless rate fell to 3.6% in the three months to July, new ONS figures show

UK jobless rate hits lowest since 1974

Britain's unemployment rate fell to its lowest since 1974 at 3.6% in the three months to July as more people left the labour market including those classified as long-term sick as well as students, official monthly figures showed today.

Business • 13 Sep 22

The UK economy grew by less than expected in July, new figures show today

UK economy grows by less than expected in July

Britain's economy grew by less than expected in July, with the sharp climb in energy tariffs possibly pushing down demand for electricity and a leap in the cost of materials hitting the construction sector.

Business • 12 Sep 22

The S&P Global/CIPS Purchasing Managers' Index composite flash estimate dropped to 50.9 in August from 52.1 in July.

Factory slump causes UK economy to stagnate in August

Growth in Britain's private sector slowed to a crawl in August as factory output fell and the larger services sector eked out only a modest expansion, adding to signs that recession may be looming, a closely watched survey showed today.

Business • 23 Aug 22

The UK's GDP fell by 11% in 2020 - a bigger drop than any of the ONS's previous estimates and the largest fall since 1709

UK economy shrank a record 11% in 2020

Britain recorded its biggest fall in output in more than 300 years in 2020 when it faced the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a larger decline than any other major economy, updated official figures showed today.

Business • 22 Aug 22

The UK's gross domestic product fell by 0.6% in June, the biggest contraction since January 2021

Bank holiday blues hit UK economy

Britain's economy contracted by less than feared in June, when a an extra bank holiday for Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee had been expected to exert a big drag, although output for the second quarter as a whole still contracted.

Business • 12 Aug 22

The figures showed Britain racked up debt interest of 19.4 billion pounds in June alone, more than double the previous record

Inflation surge pushes up Britain's budget deficit

A surge in debt costs pushed up by soaring inflation added to Britain's budget deficit last month which was its highest since April 2021, official data showed today.

Business • 21 Jul 22

Many analysts point to the risk of the UK economy going into a recession later this year

UK economy grows by unexpected 0.5% in May

Britain's economy grew unexpectedly in May, driven by a rise in doctor appointments and demand for holidays, according to official figures that could reassure the Bank of England about its plans to keep on raising interest rates.

Business • 13 Jul 22

The race to replace Johnson, who announced on Thursday that he would quit office, could take weeks.

What next for UK economy as Boris Johnson quits?

The resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson deepens the uncertainty hanging over Britain's economy, already under strain from an inflation rate heading for double digits, the risk of a recession and Brexit.

Business • 08 Jul 22

The pound fell against the dollar following the resignation of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Health

Will Boris Johnson's resignation affect the UK economy?

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to resign as Conservative party leader but will stay as Prime Minister until a successor is in place. Will it affect the UK economy?

Business • 07 Jul 22

GDP in the UK - the world's fifth-biggest economy - increased by 0.8% in the first quarter compared with the final three months of 2021

UK posts record current account gap

The UK economy grew the same as previously thought in the first three months of 2022, when the public had yet to feel the effects of a rise in inflation which now threatens to cause a recession.

Business • 30 Jun 22

S&P Global's Purchasing Managers' Index composite index for the UK came in at 53.1 in June

UK economy 'running on empty' as recession signals grow

The UK economy is showing signs of stalling as high inflation hits new orders and businesses report levels of concern that normally signal a recession, a closely watched industry survey showed today.

Business • 23 Jun 22

Britain is becoming a more closed economy due to Brexit, a new reports states today

Brexit will cost UK workers £470 a year, study predicts

Britain is becoming a more closed economy due to Brexit, with damaging long-term implications for productivity and wages which will leave the average worker £470 a year poorer by the end of the decade, a study forecast today.

Business • 22 Jun 22

The UK unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.8% in the three months to April, new figures show today

UK unemployment rate rises to 3.8% in 3 months to April

Britain's jobless rate rose for the first time in nearly a year, but there were signs of more people returning to the job market, where employers' struggle to fill vacancies has added to the Bank of England's inflation headache.

Business • 14 Jun 22

In three days the Bank of England is due to announce the scale of its latest interest rate response to the surge in inflation

UK slowdown fears mount as GDP unexpectedly shrinks

Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in April, official figures showed today, adding to fears of a sharp slowdown just three days before the Bank of England announces the scale of its latest interest rate response to the surge in inflation.

Business • 13 Jun 22

The Chocolate Manor in Coleraine made 50,000 chocolate discs for jubilee cupcakes

Over £6bn economic boost crowns jubilee weekend in UK

Over £600 million will be spent in Britain on royal memorabilia and decorations as our neighbours in the UK celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II - the first British monarch to reign for 70 years.

Business • 04 Jun 22

S&P Global's flash Composite PMI, a monthly gauge of the services and manufacturing industries, slumped to 51.8 in May from 57.6 in April

Slowdown in UK business activity rings recession alarm

Momentum in Britain's private sector slowed much more than expected this month, adding to recession worries as inflation pressures ratcheted higher, according to a business survey today that showed rising pessimism.

Business • 24 May 22

Market research firm GfK said its consumer morale gauge, dating back to 1974, touched an all-time low of -40 in May from -38 in April

UK consumer mood at lowest since records began in 1974

Pessimism weighing on Britain's households has hit unprecedented levels as the cost-of-living crisis pushed confidence in the economic outlook to its joint lowest, a survey showed.

Business • 20 May 22

UK retail sales volumes rose by 1.4% month-on-month in April after a 1.2% drop in March

UK retail sales jump unexpectedly in April

British retail sales jumped unexpectedly in April, official data showed today, but the outlook for consumer spending remained resolutely downbeat as the cost-of-living crunch intensifies.

Business • 20 May 22

The UK unemployment rate fell to 3.7% in the first three months of this year, new figures show today

UK unemployment hits 48-year low but inflation hits pay

The UK unemployment rate fell to its lowest since 1974 at 3.7% in the first three months of this year, official figures showed today, below economists' forecasts for it to hold steady at 3.8%.

Business • 17 May 22

The UK economy shrank by a historic 9.3% in 2020 and grew by 7.4% in 2021

UK economy unexpectedly shrinks in March

The UK economy shrank by 0.1% in March but expanded by 0.8% for the first quarter of 2022 as a whole, official figures showed today in what is likely to have been a high point for 2022 as the cost of living crisis increasingly bites.

Business • 12 May 22

UK economy facing recession risk

The Bank of England has warned that the UK risks a recession as inflation is expected to pass 10%.

Business • 09 May 22

UK inflation rose to an annual rate of 7% in March - its highest since 1992

UK inflation jumps to 30-year high of 7% in March

British consumer price inflation leapt to 7% in March, its highest since March 1992 and up from 6.2% in February, official figures showed today, intensifying the cost-of-living squeeze faced by households.

Business • 13 Apr 22

The number of job vacancies in the UK hit a fresh record high in the three months to March at 1.288 million

UK jobless rate falls further below pre-pandemic rate

UK earnings shrank by the most since 2013 in February when adjusted for surging inflation, despite unemployment falling to its joint lowest in almost 50 years.

Business • 12 Apr 22

The latest S&P Global/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI survey shows a reading of 55.2

UK manufacturing growth slows to 13 month low

Manufacturing in the UK is doing worse than at any point for the last 13 months, as exports suffered and the war in Ukraine made buyers more cautious, an influential survey has found.

Business • 01 Apr 22

GDP in the world's fifth-biggest economy increased by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, new figures show today

Covid spending helps UK economy to grow in late 2021

Britain's economy grew more quickly than previously thought in the last three months of 2021 when the country was hit by the Omicron wave of Covid-19 cases, driven by higher health spending, official data showed today.

Business • 31 Mar 22

Uk Economy