‘Wellbeing’ isn’t a joke – it’s a tool for tackling populism In Britain, the Treasury is taking the idea of social happiness surprisingly seriously – and the chancellor needs to as well
Reeves to raise spectre of Liz Truss to persuade Labour MPs to accept cuts Chancellor to tell party she is making steep cuts to avoid similar fallout to that which followed 2022 mini-budget
Travel shares drop after Heathrow closure; UK deficit overshoots forecasts at £10.7bn – as it happened Airline and hotel shares tumble as substation fire shuts airport, while UK borrowing jumped more than expected
Reeves under pressure as UK borrowing sharply exceeds forecasts IFS says chancellor ‘boxed in’ by promises before spring statement as February figure is much worse than expected
US-EU trade war could cost Ireland more than €18bn, says report Report co-authored by Irish government also finds tariffs could cause job losses and relocation of US multinationals
Troubled UK statistics agency warns of errors in its growth figures ONS, already working on fixing a survey, uncovers problems with two indices used to measure prices in economy
Borrowing overshoot will test Rachel Reeves’s resolve on tax rises Chancellor may see data as vindication for spending cuts but some analysts say more radical action will be needed
‘Does it score?’ How the OBR became the key arbiter of the Treasury’s sums Chancellor has very little headroom within her fiscal rules but is keen to keep Office for Budget Responsibility on side
Bank of England in no hurry on interest rates – but cuts will come Despite the decision to hold at 4.5%, businesses and households can take a confident view of the UK’s prospects
Government debt costs in richest nations at highest since 2007 Payments by OECD countries outstrip amount spent on defence, police services and housing, report finds
Bank of England says companies freezing hiring plans as it keeps interest rates on hold Rate-setting committee also points to mounting global uncertainty as it pauses its cycle of reductions
UK pay growth remains high, making interest rate cut less likely Unemployment was level in January, but has risen over the past six months
Federal Reserve cuts US economic growth outlook amid Trump tariffs Officials raise inflation forecast to 2.7% this year, as Fed chair Jerome Powell says uncertainty is ‘remarkably high’
The Guardian view on Germany’s new coalition: unleashing the radical centre Editorial: A groundbreaking vote by outgoing MPs has given the chancellor-elect, Friedrich Merz, the chance to renew mainstream politics
Brussels takes action against Google and Apple under Digital Markets Act – as it happened Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news