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The UK will be the worst-performing economy in the G7 next year, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as high interest rates and the lingering effects of last year’s surge in inflation weigh. In a downbeat assessment, the Paris-based thinktank also downgraded its forecast for UK growth this year to 0.4% from a November forecast of 0.7%.more

Duralex, a French manufacturer of glass kitchenware, also popular in Poland, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, has been declared bankrupt. The company had been struggling financially for many years, recently exacerbated by soaring energy prices following Russia's aggression against Ukraine and Chinese competition.more

Housing in Poland is growing more expensive at a very fast pace. Buying the M of your dreams is becoming more challenging every year. However, what is a problem in the country may look a little different from the perspective of Poles who have emigrated to the UK for work purposes and are planning to return to their homeland.more

The Premier Inn owner Whitbread is to cut 1,500 jobs in the UK and shut more than 100 struggling restaurants despite announcing a significant rise in returns to shareholders. Whitbread, which runs 850 hotels in the UK and has the sector’s biggest brand, Premier Inn, said it was starting a consultation on the cuts on Tuesday and that it would seek to find alternative jobs for those affected.more

Average private rents in Great Britain have risen to record highs, with annual rental growth in hotspot locations such as Reading and Coventry running at almost 20%.more

Buying a home for the first time is a big achievement, often borne of years of hard work and careful saving. But trying to buy a home in London often feels impossible, given how expensive homes are in the capital city.more

The UK will persuade other Nato members to raise the minimum level of defence spending from 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent of GDP, Defence Minister Grant Shapps announced yesterday.more

Grocery price inflation in Great Britain has slowed to 3.2%, the lowest since November 2021, as the cost of toilet rolls, butter and milk fell and people spent more on store promotions.more

Thames Water could raise bills to as much as £627 a year to pay to fix its leaky network, after promising to invest up to £3bn more over the next five years. The embattled water supplier said on Monday that it had updated its spending plans for 2025 to 2030 after discussions with the industry regulator, Ofwat.more

Motorists could be charged nearly 40% APR (annual percentage rate) when paying for their insurance monthly, according to new analysis. And some home insurers are charging nearly 35% APR on monthly payments, Which? said.more

The degree to which EU countries are getting money from the €800 billion Recovery Fund varies. There are countries that have received most of their pot like Italy, which has received more than €100 billion in grants and loans. Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands, on the other hand, have not yet received a single euro.more

Inflation has fallen to its lowest level in two-and-a-half years, driven largely by slowing food price rises. Prices rose by 3.2% in the year to March, down from 3.4% the month before, according to official figures.more

Smart meters and other energy appliances such as heat pumps will be equipped with a surge pricing function under plans being put forward by ministers. The proposals under consultation by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) would require a string of devices to be “smart” by default, allowing them to take advantage of so-called time of use tariffs.more

Major banks including NatWest, Lloyds, and Halifax have announced the closure of more than 100 branches in the last few weeks.more

The UK economy grew slightly in February increasing hopes it is on its way out of recession. The economy grew by 0.1%, official figures show, boosted by production and manufacturing in areas such as the car industry. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that construction was dampened by wet weather though.more

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank has warned that schools could lose over £1 billion in funding by 2030 because of falling pupil numbers.more

From today (11 April), higher minimum earnings levels apply in the UK to apply for a work visa and to bring family members into the country. This also applies to citizens of European Union countries.more

Almost £54 million from the UK benefits system was defrauded by five Bulgarian nationals over four and a half years. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), this is the biggest case of its kind ever to come to court in the UK.more

Tesco has said price pressures on grocers have eased as it reported bumper sales and profits for the past year. The UK's biggest supermarket chain said pre-tax profits hit £2.3bn, up from £882m, while sales rose by 4.4% to £68.2bn in the year to 24 February.more

About 15 Ted Baker stores in the UK will be shut down, including shops in London Bridge and Milton Keynes, leading to nearly 250 job losses, joint administrators of the collapsed British fashion retailer said on Monday.more

Poles' assessments of the material situation of their households have improved; 52 per cent say they live at an average level, according to a CBOS survey published yesterday. A modest life was indicated by 14 per cent of respondents, while 1 per cent said they were living very poorly.more

Starting salaries for permanent staff grew at the slowest rate in over three years last month and spending on temporary workers fell by the most since July 2020, recruiters said on Monday, adding to signs of a slowdown in Britain's job market.more

Thousands of pests including rats, cockroaches and bedbugs have been found at NHS hospitals in England as the health service buckles under a record high repair bill.more

One in four Londoners (24 per cent) aren’t confident in their ability to meet mortgage and rental payments, reports Barclays. Across the UK, one in six people share the same fears. Homeowners and tenants are cutting back to try and make ends meet, with 22 per cent making cost-saving decisions to keep up with rising housing costs.more

Rent rises in Britain are forecast to outpace wage growth, despite having already surged at the fastest pace on record after the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis.more