Economy

Britain has set out an ambition to lead the next phase of financial technology, and it has attached a striking number to it. On 13 July 2026, Chris Woolard, appointed as the government's wholesale digital markets champion, published a report projecting that scaling the …

Britain's fiscal rules are heading into another testing autumn. With a Budget widely expected on 26 November 2026, attention has returned to the narrow margin the Chancellor holds against her own targets, and to a bigger question that sits behind the arithmetic: does the …

Britain is sweltering again, and this time the language has shifted. Alongside familiar warnings of a heatwave, forecasters, fire chiefs and climate scientists are now talking about a 'firewave': clustered days of extreme wildfire danger driven by relentless heat, low humidity and drying vegetation. …

Britain's lowest-paid workers received a pay rise on 1 April 2026, when the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over increased to £12.71 an hour. The 50p uplift, worth 4.1%, was recommended by the independent Low Pay Commission and confirmed by HM …

Britain is rewriting the default setting for how it buys public services. In a shift confirmed during 2026, the government has moved to end what it calls 'outsourcing by default', requiring departments to consider whether services could be delivered better in-house before they are …

The United Kingdom and Switzerland have set out an ambitious plan to deepen one of Europe's most valuable services relationships. On 13 July 2026, the government unveiled an enhanced free trade agreement with Switzerland that it describes as its most significant services trade deal …

One of the fastest-growing corners of British consumer finance has, from today, come under formal supervision. From 15 July 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority regulates Buy Now, Pay Later, the short-term instalment credit that lets shoppers spread the cost of a purchase, usually interest-free. …