Author: Heather Stewart Economics editor

BudgetEconomic policyEconomicsIndustrial policyJohn HealeyLabourLabour conferenceLabour conference 2026LiverpoolTax and spendingUK news

Healey offers upbeat vision but sheds little light on how it will be paid for

With next month’s budget a month away, chancellor gives little indication in conference speech of where money will come from to reindustrialise BritainHealey vows to stick to fiscal rules in budgetUK politics live – latest updatesJohn Healey cheered th…

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Global bond sell-off piles new pressure on UK borrowing costs before budget

Rising cost of 10-year gilt to near 19-year high hikes upfront cost of government investment and limits chancellor’s room for manoeuvreBusiness live – latest updatesInternational bodies warn of rising debt and borrowing risksBurnham stands by claim UK …

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‘Sweat the asset’: new development minister plots path to make UK aid count

Kirsty McNeill reaffirms Labour’s 0.7% of GDP pledge and promises value for money to allay voter concernsThe development minister, Kirsty McNeill, has declared herself “a huge believer in aid”, as she reaffirmed Labour’s manifesto pledge to return to a…

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UK economy unexpectedly grows 0.4% in July boosted by AI

Welcome boost for chancellor with unexpected rise put down to rapid growth of AI in services sector outweighing Iran war fallout The UK economy grew in July as the rapid expansion of AI appeared to outweigh the economic damage from the Iran war, in a w…

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UK chancellor urged to remove £100k childcare ‘cliff edge’ prompting parents to cut work hours

Critics say threshold pushes higher-paid staff to cut back on work and often mothers to stop working to avoid losing entitlementJohn Healey has been urged to fix the £100,000 childcare “cliff edge”, that means some higher-paid employees cut back on wor…

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UK datacentres will create just 25% of jobs predicted by tech sector, analysis finds

Facilities likely to employ 10,400 workers, compared with 40,000 in industry estimates, thinktank saysDatacentres in the UK will create just a quarter of the jobs predicted by the tech sector, while consuming vast amounts of energy, according to new re…

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UK government pays highest interest rate on 30-year bond since 1998

High yields threaten to wipe out at least half of the £24bn headroom John Healey was expecting to have for his budgetThe UK government was forced to pay the highest interest rate for a 30-year bond since 1998 on Tuesday, underlining the fiscal challeng…

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Global bond sell-off intensifies as US-Iran tensions stoke inflation fears

UK borrowing costs driven up, adding to challenges facing John Healey as he prepares for first budgetBusiness live – latest updatesThe global government bond sell-off resumed on Wednesday, driving up the UK’s borrowing costs and exacerbating the challe…

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UK productivity growing faster than official figures suggest, thinktank finds

Resolution Foundation suggests economy may finally be emerging from shadow of 2008 financial crisisProductivity in the UK – a vital measure of economic health – is growing more strongly than official figures suggest, according to analysis from the Reso…

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