The Chancellor spoke yesterday after figures revealed inflation had surged to 5.4 per cent last month – its highest rate since March 1992 – as the nation’s cost-of-living crunch intensified. With gas and electricity costs set to rise further and Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey suggesting energy prices might not come down until 2023,

Soaring energy prices and rising inflation are causing policy headaches around the world. In the U.K., though, the government is raising taxes at the same time, kicking off an economic experiment in one of the countries worst-hit by the pandemic. Britain’s acute cost-of-living crunch will hit in April, instantly stretching household and company budgets and penalizing the poorest households, many

On December 21, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a range of rules were being introduced that would thwart New Year’s celebrations in a desperate attempt to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. It saw a limit of 100 people at indoor standing events, up to 200 people at indoor seated events and up to

Consumer confidence worsened in December 2021, according to the latest analysis from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The index declined by -0.5 points, falling from 110.5 to 110. This is a small drop, and the overall Index was still in positive territory. However, it suggests that the Omicron variant of

British consumer confidence edged lower in December, taking only a modest hit from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, a monthly survey showed on Monday. The YouGov/Cebr consumer confidence index fell by 0.5 points to 110.0 in December, and is well above its level of a year earlier when the economy had

Josie Dent, Centre for Economics and Business Research Managing Economist discusses Europe’s energy prices. She speaks with Tom Mackenzie and Francine Lacqua on “Bloomberg Markets: European Open.” Watch the full interview

Aico are pleased to announce the official launch of the Housing Safety & Wellbeing Taskforce, which due to COVID-19 precautions, took place online on the 13th January 2022. We were delighted to be joined by Sir Peter Bottomley MP, who introduced the initiative and paid tribute to the late Sir David Amess MP, who had lent

Households are facing at least a £3,000 spending squeeze in 2022 as soaring energy bills send inflation through the roof.  Economists expect inflation to hit a 30-year high in what has been dubbed ‘Awful April’, forcing the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) to re-evaluate its already gloomy forecast less than a month after

Inflation is expected to be sent through the roof, with households facing at least a £3,000 spending squeeze this year. This inflation is predicted to triple the number of households experiencing “fuel stress” – meaning they are spending more than 10 percent of their household budget on energy. This has placed pressure on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to act

Unions and business leaders who have been hit by crippling staff shortages have welcomed the Government’s decision to today cut the number of self-isolation days down to five. Sajid Javid declared that the self-isolation period is being cut to five full days in a bid to ease the pressure of staff absences from Omicron. The Health Secretary confirmed

Prices have risen by more than 5pc in the past year and there is growing unease at the Bank of England that inflation is here to stay even as the pandemic comes to an end.  The Consumer Prices Index is at the highest level since September 2011 on the back of rising petrol and household energy costs.

The CEBR indicated that there are “promising” signs of supply chain pressures easing, citing rate reductions in both the Baltic Dry Index and the HARPEX container shipping index. On the other hand, the CEBR also warned that disruption from the Omicron Covid-19 variant expected in the next couple of months “will be challenging”. What is

Employers should prepare now for high rates of staff sickness that could kick in as soon as Omicron breaches the border and last until spring or beyond, Otago University professor Michael Baker warns. “If and when Omicron gets here, it is going to really add to the burden of absenteeism this year,” Baker said. “Also,

Manufacturers have warned that Brexit will add to soaring costs facing British industry, amid concerns that customs delays and red tape will rank among the biggest challenges for firms this year. Make UK, the industry body representing 20,000 manufacturing firms of all sizes from across the country, said that while optimism among its members had grown, it

In the UK, people who test positive for coronavirus are required to self-isolate for seven days from the day symptoms begin. The self-isolation period has recently been reduced from ten days down to seven for fully vaccinated people, as long as they test negative on days six and seven. But those who are not fully vaccinated will