UK economy news and explainers in plain English: inflation, interest rates, the Autumn Budget, jobs, house prices and the official figures from the ONS and the Bank of England, translated into what they mean for your money. Updated as the data lands.
TL;DR: Birmingham Airport has published a draft Master Plan for £2 billion of investment over 15 years. The plan aims to take the airport close to 30 million passengers a year, add £3.6 billion in value for the West Midlands and support over 50,000 jobs, with 3,800 of them on site. An eight week public…
TL;DR: The government has opened a consultation on extending Awaab’s Law to private renters in England, so landlords could face legal deadlines to fix dangers such as severe damp and mould. The change could take the number of households covered by the repair timescales from 4 million to around 9 million. The consultation closes on…
TL;DR: Lenders made mortgages and unsecured credit harder to get in the three months to the end of August 2026, and demand for house purchase loans and remortgages fell sharply. The price of mortgage borrowing still eased, because lenders narrowed their spreads, and lenders expect availability and remortgage demand to pick up in the next…
TL;DR: Boots has been sold in a $8.9 billion deal. Wittington Investments, the holding company of Canada’s Weston family, has agreed to buy Boots, Boots Opticians and the No7 Beauty Company from majority owner Sycamore Partners and the Pessina family. The deal is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2027, and no changes…
TL;DR: Petrol prices on Google Maps went live across the UK today, Thursday 8 October 2026, using the government’s Fuel Finder data. Search for a forecourt in Google Maps or Waze and you can see near real time petrol and diesel prices before you set off. The government says a household with a car can…
UK house prices were flat in September 2026 at an average of £298,441, according to the Lloyds House Price Index. What 0% growth means for buyers, sellers and remortgagers.
Nearly 200 GXO drivers who deliver supplies to hospitals across England will strike for 15 days across October and November after rejecting a 4% pay offer.
Last Updated: 1 October 2026 UK Mortgage Rates are rising again. September 2026 brought the first month-on-month increase in average fixed rates for eight months, as a wave of lender repricing pushed typical deals back towards 6%. The latest changes could affect homeowners, first-time buyers and anyone planning to remortgage in 2026. In this guide,…
The latest confirmed UK CPI inflation rate was 2.9% in the 12 months to July 2026. That was up from 2.6% in June. This page uses the Office for National Statistics release published on 19 August 2026, rather than presenting an older figure as today’s rate. UK inflation: the latest confirmed figures Measure Latest figure…
Published: 16 July 2026 • Updated: 1 October 2026 • Reading Time: 8 min read Millions of UK homeowners are asking the same question: will UK interest rates rise again? With oil prices climbing and inflation still under close watch, understanding what happens next could help you prepare for changes to your mortgage, savings and…