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Britain's Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer attends television interviews on the final day of the party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, October 11, 2023. It is not unusual for opposition leaders to receive summit invitations, but COP28 is particularly resonant. Ireland's climate minister, Eamon Ryan, hailed Britain's climate leadership, but also said Sunak's reset of some measures had not gone down well when the news was reported while he was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Britain's development minister Andrew Mitchell, at COP28, told Reuters what Sunak did "was very good government". But the Conservatives' former finance minister George Osborne questioned whether Sunak had been angered that Kitsotakis had met Starmer before him.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Phil Noble, Starmer, King, Jordan, John Kerry, General Antonio Guterres, Rishi Sunak, COP28, Sunak, Espen Barth Eide, Eamon Ryan, Andrew Mitchell, we're, Kyriakos, Sunak's, George Osborne, Kitsotakis, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Abnett, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Britain's Labour, REUTERS, Labour Party, UN, Labour, General, Reuters, Greek, Elgin, British, Conservatives, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, DUBAI, Dubai, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Brazil, London, COP28, Norwegian, New York

☆ Labour leader Starmer praises Thatcher in bid to woo UK Conservative voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 29, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, has praised former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a deeply unpopular figure among many Labour supporters, as he seeks to woo Conservative voters before an election expected next year. Thatcher, dubbed the "Iron Lady" by the UK press at the time, was Britain's Conservative leader from 1979 to 1990. "Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them," Starmer wrote in an article for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. After hailing Thatcher, Starmer wrote that Labour had "changed dramatically in the last three years".

Persons: Keir Starmer, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Britain's, Margaret Thatcher, Starmer, Rishi Sunak's, Thatcher, Tony Blair, Clement Attlee, Jeremy Corbyn, Victoria Atkins, Margaret Thatcher's, Michael Holden, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Sunday Telegraph, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 15, 2023. But the backing of so many Labour lawmakers showed the levels of disquiet in the party over the Middle East conflict. Eight members of Starmer's 'shadow' ministerial team left their roles in order to defy the party position. But I wanted to be clear about where I stood, and where I will stand," Starmer said after the vote. A large protest by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign outside parliament demanding lawmakers back a ceasefire took place while the vote was going on.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Maria Unger, Handout, Rishi Sunak, Jess Phillips, Starmer, Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan, Deepa Babington Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS Acquire, Labour, Scottish National Party, European Union, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Israel, United States, Gaza, Britain's, Palestine

☆ Police Probe Fake London Mayor Video on Pro-Palestinian Marches
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON (Reuters) - A post shared on social media purporting to show the mayor of London saying pro-Palestinian marches should take priority over Armistice Day events is fake and police are investigating, a spokesman for the mayor said. The social media clip could further inflame tensions in the capital, a day before a large pro-Palestinian march is planned to coincide with the anniversary of the end of World War One. There are fears there could be violent confrontations as far-right groups have indicated they will protect the Cenotaph war memorial on Saturday, Armistice Day. A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a member of Britain's Labour Party, said of the social media post: "The Met (London's Police) and their counter terror experts are aware of this fake video that is being circulated and amplified on social media by far-right groups, and are actively investigating." Saturday's pro-Palestinian march has prompted a political row after interior minister Suella Braverman published an article attacking the police's handling of it.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Saturday's, Suella Braverman, Sarah Young, Mark Heinrich Organizations: London Mayor, Britain's Labour Party, London's Police Locations: London

☆ UK Labour's Starmer seeks to reunite party over Israel/Hamas conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kier Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks as he attends a by-election victory event for Sarah Edwards, newly elected MP for Tamworth, at Tamworth football stadium, Tamworth in central Britain, October 20, 2023. In a hastily arranged speech, Starmer was keen to restore unity to the party after senior figures, such as its London and Manchester mayors and the Scottish Labour leader, called for a ceasefire to ease Gaza's growing humanitarian crisis. He said what was needed now was an immediate pause to allow aid to be delivered and for people to seek safety, but that nations should be pushing for a resumption of peace and renewed talks for a two-state solution. "My Labour Party will fight for that cause, we will work with international partners towards the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated just and lasting peace," he said. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kier Starmer, Sarah Edwards, Toby Melville, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn, Elizabeth Piper, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, Tamworth, REUTERS, British Labour, Palestinian, Labour, Chatham House, Scottish Labour, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Tamworth, Britain, Israel, Gaza, London, Manchester

☆ Morning Bid: Big Tech reports as bond yields recoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The two tech giants report after the bell on Tuesday, with Meta (META.O) following on Wednesday and Amazon (AMZN.O) on Thursday. Partly lifted by the year's artificial intelligence craze, the tech behemoths have clearly flattered year-to-date gains of 10% in the overall S&P500. And yet the seemingly endless squeeze in bond markets since midyear has seen megacap indexes (.NYFANG) retreat some 12% from their highs for the year. The upshot of the whole picture is to give U.S. stock futures a lift ahead of the open on Tuesday - with Asia and European bourses in positive territory too as bond markets stabilised. Ten-year U.S. Treasury yields held about 4.83% - some 19 basis points below Monday's peak at 5.02%.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Bill Ackman, Clark, Chubb, Paccar, Centene, Sherwin, Williams, Archer, David Evans Organizations: NVIDIA Corp, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Mike Dolan Big Tech, Microsoft, Meta, Treasuries, U.S, Bank of England, Treasury, Britain's FTSE, Barclays, P Global, Richmond Fed, Philadelphia Fed, Texas Instruments, Verizon, General Electric, NextEra Energy, HCA Healthcare, General Motors, Halliburton, Dow, Waste Management, Daniels, Midland, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Gaza, United States, Asia, European, Britain's, Philadelphia, Danaher, Fiserv, Kimberly, Spotify, Dover, Nucor

The BoE is monitoring the labour market closely as it considers whether it needs to resume raising interest rates, having kept them on hold in September after 14 hikes in a row. Under the previous methodology, the unemployment rate had been reported as 4.3% for the three months to July rather than 4.2%. Still, the new data showed more slack in the labour market than the BoE had predicted in August, when it forecast an unemployment rate of 4.1% for the third quarter as a whole. "It is probably only a matter of time before the recent loosening of the labour market feeds through into significantly slower wage growth," Pugh said. The latest ONS estimate showed employment fell by 133,000 in the three months to July, compared with 207,000 in its previous estimate.

Persons: BoE, Thomas Pugh, Pugh, Tony Wilson, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg, Paul Sandle, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Office, National Statistics, Bank of England, Labour Force Survey, RSM, ONS, Financial, Institute for Employment Studies, Thomson

Britain's Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer addresses the start of the National Annual Women's Conference, ahead of the start of Britain's Labour Party annual conference, in Liverpool, Britain, October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsLIVERPOOL, England, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Labour leader Keir Starmer will appeal directly to British voters on Tuesday, saying his revamped opposition party is best placed to boost economic growth and offer the country the hope that "things will be better for your children". Aides say Starmer knows he must try to convey a sense of reassurance that Labour can get to work on fixing a multitude of problems from poor public services to sluggish growth. "What is broken can be repaired, what is ruined can be rebuilt," he will tell hundreds of the party faithful at the conference in the northern English city of Liverpool. "We have to be a government that takes care of the big questions so working people have the freedom to enjoy what they love," he will say.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Phil Noble, Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn, Elizabeth Piper, Gareth Jones 私 Organizations: Britain's Labour, Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Rights, Labour, Health Service Locations: Liverpool, Britain, Rights LIVERPOOL, England, English, Scotland

☆ Britain's Labour plans to 'rewire' the country, ease grid delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIVERPOOL, England Oct 8 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party on Sunday said it would speed up connections to the country's National Grid network as part of investment in clean energy infrastructure and to ease delays electricity companies face. Labour said that its plans "to rewire" Britain would remove barriers to connections and "facilitate the largest upgrade to national transmission infrastructure in a generation". "Labour will turbocharge our growth, get Britain building and unlock private sector investment by speeding up the grid." Labour said the plans would contribute to its overall target to cut 93 billion pounds from UK energy bills by 2030. Under the plans, GB Energy will also coordinate the launch of tenders for the supply chain that the revamped grid system will need.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Rachel Reeves, Alistair Smout, Barbara Lewis Organizations: LIVERPOOL, Labour Party, Labour, GB Energy, Conservative, Energy, Thomson Locations: England, Liverpool, Britain

☆ UK's opposition Labour on course for landslide election victory, poll predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer arrives with his deputy Angela Rayner ahead of the start of, Britain's Labour Party annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party is on course to win a landslide victory at a national election expected next year, according to an opinion poll published on Saturday. It predicted a range of 402-437 seats for Labour, and 132-169 seats for the Conservatives. At the last national election in 2019, the Conservatives won 365 seats and Labour 203. The polling, which took place before the Conservatives' annual conference this week, found that in every constituency, the cost-of-living crisis and the state of the National Health Service were the two most important issues to voters.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, Phil Noble, Rishi Sunak's, Survation, Oliver Dowden, Grant Shapps, Kylie MacLellan, Nick Macfie Organizations: Britain's Labour, Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS, Labour Party, Labour, Conservatives, Observer, Liberal Democrats, National Health Service, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, England

☆ Britain's Labour Party hails 'seismic' win in Scottish vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People in Rutherglen and Hamilton West have sent a clear message – it is time for change. And it is clear they believe that this changed Labour Party can deliver it," Labour leader Keir Starmer said in a statement. John Curtice, Britain's most prominent pollster, said it was a "remarkable result" for the Labour party, which comes on the eve of its annual conference next week. "This is the kind of result that suggests that the Labour Party is potentially capable of winning seats again in Scotland," he told BBC News. "However, we will reflect on what we have to do to regain the trust of the people of Rutherglen & Hamilton West."

Persons: Rishi, Hamilton West, Keir Starmer, Margaret Ferrier, Michael Shanks, Katy Loudon, John Curtice, Ferrier, Humza Yousaf, Yousaf, Nicola Sturgeon, Alistair Smout, Jamie Freed, Michael Perry 私 Organizations: Labour, LONDON, Labour Party, Scottish Nationalist Party, Conservative Party, Hamilton, Hamilton West, BBC News, Scottish, COVID, Rutherglen & Hamilton, Rutherglen Locations: Scotland, Rutherglen, Glasgow, London's, Britain's, United Kingdom

For his manager, Barrie Chapman, the overtime he now gets is a huge boost once unheard of in the hospitality sector. At its "Alcampo Lounge" venue in Brighton, staff can get a free meal per shift, flexible hours, bonuses, and overtime for salaried employees. "There's been a trend in hospitality to work staff hard, to not treat them very well, because there was always another person that would come in," said head chef Chris Lloyd-Rogers. "That's why people leave work, and it's what brings people back," Wilson said. Recruitment website Indeed said its regular survey of job seekers showed that the most highly valued benefits were flexible working and sick pay.

Persons: Josh Hughes, Davies, Barrie Chapman, Jen Eaton, Nick Collins, Eaton, Chapman, Hughes, Spencer, Britain's, Loungers, There's, Chris Lloyd, Rogers, Tony Wilson, Wilson, Sarah Findlater, Fiona Walters, Amit Puntambekar, Puntambekar, James Davey, Kate Holton, David Milliken, David Clarke 私 Organizations: Reuters, Amazon, Tesco, Global, Office, National Statistics, Britain, EU, Institute for Employment Studies, Organisation for Economic Co, IES Locations: BRIGHTON, England, Brighton, Britain, Cambridge, London

Workers walk through the Canary Wharf financial district, ahead of a Bank of England decision on interest rate changes, in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. The unemployment rate rose, the number of people in work fell sharply and vacancies dipped below 1 million for the first time in two years, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday. Yet if incoming data doesn't turn definitively, another hike to a terminal rate of 5.75% is absolutely on the table." The unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in the three months to July from 4.2% a month earlier, its highest since the three months to the end of September 2021, the ONS said. Including bonuses, pay rose by 8.5% compared with the 8.2% consensus, boosted in part by backdated pay for healthcare workers.

Persons: Toby Melville, BoE, Hugh Gimber, they've, Andrew Bailey, Jeremy Hunt, Andy Bruce, David Milliken, Sachin Ravikumar, David Holmes Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Bank of England, National Statistics, Morgan Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Bank of England, London, Britain

☆ Britain's Labour party would repeal strike laws in first 100 days in power
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party would repeal recently-introduced legislation that limits workers' rights to strike if it wins an election expected next year, deputy leader Angela Rayner said on Tuesday, pledging to enhance employee protection. Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said the new legislation was a "spiteful and bitter attack" on trade unions. "The next Labour Government will ask Parliament to repeal these anti-trade union laws within our first 100 days," she said in a speech at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual conference in Liverpool. She said that Labour would also bring forward an Employment Rights Bill in its first 100 days in office. Labour has said that such a bill will legislate for fairer pay, strengthen rights and protections for workers and bolster trade unions' rights.

Persons: Angela Rayner, Alistair Smout, William James Our Organizations: Labour Party, Conservative, Labour Government, Trades Union Congress, TUC, Labour, Thomson Locations: Liverpool

☆ UK employers curb hiring at fastest rate in over 3 years: REC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Workers walk through the Canary Wharf financial district, ahead of a Bank of England decision on interest rate changes, in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REC also reported that starting salaries rose at the joint-slowest pace since March 2021, although this was still a large increase by historic standards. A BoE survey on Thursday showed employers expect to raise wages by 5% over the coming year, above the 3-4% rate typical before the pandemic, when inflation stayed close to target. REC said there were "widespread reports" from its members that the pool of jobseekers had been swollen by increased redundancies. The REC surveyed around 400 recruitment agencies between Aug. 10 and Aug. 24.

Persons: Toby Melville, Neil Carberry, BoE, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, jobseekers, David Milliken, Frances Kerry Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Confederation, REC, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bank of England, London, Britain

☆ UK jobs market lost some of its heat in July - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Britain's labour market is losing some of its inflationary heat with vacancies and advertised starting salaries falling in July for the first time this year, according to a survey published on Monday. Job search website Adzuna also said the number of job-seekers per vacancy rose slightly in July but the overall state of the labour market remained tight. The Bank of England is looking closely at the labour market as it considers how much further it needs to raise interest rates to smother high inflation. Adzuna said employers were becoming more secretive about pay rates as the labour market cooled with over half of adverts not disclosing salary details for the first time. Writing by William Schomberg, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adzuna, Andrew Hunter, William Schomberg, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: The Bank of England, Thomson

☆ Britain's Labour focuses on economy as PM Sunak faces electoral test
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He swiftly went back to concentrating his attacks on the government's handling of the economy and public services. "People are all talking about what is going on with the economy and the crisis that is affecting so many ordinary lives." Sixty-four percent of voters said the economy was the most important issue for them in a YouGov survey earlier this month. 'BUCKET FULL OF HOLES'Uxbridge and South Ruislip, on the western edge of London, is traditionally a Conservative stronghold. Labour's message is more focused on national issues such as the economy and mortgages, while the Conservatives are hammering local issues.

Persons: Danny Beales, Boris Johnson's, Susannah Ireland, Boris Johnson LONDON, Boris Johnson, Beales, Rishi Sunak, Johnson, Sunak, Maria Genjatovic, Paul Mathews, Mathews, Steve Tuckwell, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Alex Richardson Organizations: Labour, British, REUTERS, London Labour, Labour Party, Conservatives, Reuters, Britain, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Uxbridge, South, Uxbridge , Middlesex, Britain, London, South Ruislip

☆ UK jobs market cools again, pay growth weakest since April 2021: REC
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and accountants KPMG said increases in starting salaries for permanent and temporary staff were the weakest since April 2021. The BoE, which has raised interest rates 13 times since late 2021 in an attempt to tame the highest inflation rate among the world's big rich economies, has said it expects pay growth to weaken, easing price pressures. The monthly REC survey showed the availability of staff rose for the fourth month in a row to 57.6 from 55.6 in May, the steepest month-on-month increase since November 2009 excluding the coronavirus pandemic period. REC said uncertainty over the economic outlook weighed on hiring decisions in June. Vacancies ticked up further in June although the pace of growth was the weakest since records started in March 2021.

Persons: BoE, Neil Carberry, REC's, Claire Warnes, Suban Abdulla, William Schomberg Organizations: Bank of England's, Confederation, KPMG, REC, Thomson

☆ Exclusive: With UK health service in crisis, Tesco gives staff virtual doctors appointments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A customer talks to an in store fishmonger at a Tesco supermarket near Liverpool, Britain, January 28, 2019. REUTERS/ Phil NobleLONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Supermarket group Tesco (TSCO.L), Britain's largest private-sector employer, is to offer its staff virtual appointments with a private family doctor, in another indication of the pressures engulfing the country's National Health Service (NHS). The NHS, which celebrated its 75th anniversary on Wednesday, was launched after World War Two to provide health care free at the point of use, and remains a much-loved institution. "This is a direct investment in the health of our colleagues," Tesco's UK people director, James Goodman, said. Tesco, like other big employers and retailers, has previously provided more traditional benefits to staff, such as share schemes and staff discounts, and last year started offering advances on pay.

Persons: Phil Noble LONDON, YuLife, Booker, James Goodman, James Davey, Kate Holton, David Holmes Organizations: Tesco, REUTERS, National Health Service, Reuters, Health, Workers, Tesco Bank, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, England

☆ Hot UK labour market raises pressure on BoE to act again
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Employment and wage growth soared during the three months to April while the unemployment rate fell, according to the Office for National Statistics. Outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, when wage statistics were skewed by furlough schemes, it was the highest reading on record. Including bonuses, wage growth jumped to 6.5% from 6.1% previously, but it still lagged inflation, meaning Britons are suffering declining pay in real terms. "With the possibility of higher-for-longer rates, a UK recession looks unavoidable as tight monetary policy filters into the real economy - including the housing market," Medhi said. BoE officials are likely to note that the headline employment and wages data came in above all forecasts, while the unemployment rate was below all forecasts.

Persons: BoE, Sterling, Hussain Mehdi, Medhi, Andy Bruce, Sachin Ravikumar, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, RBC, HSBC Asset Management, Thomson

LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Incoming Bank of England rate-setter Megan Greene signalled on Tuesday that the central bank may have a tough job returning British inflation to its 2% target, even if it drops quickly at first from double-digit figures. British inflation fell in April from double digits to 8.7% but this was still jointly the highest reading among Group of Seven countries, along with Italy. Short-dated British government bond yields rose to their highest level since 2008 as Greene spoke. She described inflation expectations in Britain as pretty well-anchored, but said there were lessons from the 1970s on how not to conduct monetary policy. Greene will replace MPC member Silvana Tenreyro, who has voted against the BoE's rate increases in recent months.

Persons: Megan Greene, Greene, Kroll, BoE, Silvana Tenreyro, Kylie MacLellan, Suban Abdulla, Sarah Young, Catherine Evans Organizations: Incoming Bank of, Monetary, parliament's, MPC, Thomson Locations: Italy, Britain, U.S

☆ UK wage growth outstrips US and EU rises: Indeed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

By contrast, growth in advertised salaries in the United States slowed to 5.3%, after outstripping British wage growth throughout 2022, while in the euro zone it edged down to 4.7%. Among big euro zone countries, salary growth was fastest in Germany at 6.2%, and weakest in Italy at just 1.6%. The rise in advertised salaries in Britain was greatest in nursing and low-paid roles such as retail, hospitality and cleaning. Wage growth in Britain is still well below consumer price inflation, which was 8.7% in April, and in double digits for seven months before that. The most recent official data showed annual wage growth excluding bonuses for all employees - not just new starters - at 6.7% in the first quarter of 2023.

Persons: David Milliken, Andy Bruce Organizations: Bank, England, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Confederation, Thomson Locations: United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands

☆ Analysis: Why is UK inflation so high?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Annual consumer price inflation (CPI) in Britain fell to 10.1% last month but defied forecasts for a bigger drop from February's 10.4%, according to data published on Wednesday. "Inflation in the UK has risen further and stayed higher than elsewhere as the UK has experienced the worst of both worlds: a big energy shock like the euro zone and labour shortages - even worse than the U.S.," said Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at consultancy Capital Economics. British consumer energy prices were 79% higher in March than their level two years earlier, the biggest increase in western Europe. Britain's high rate of energy inflation reflects its heavy reliance on gas for power generation and home heating as well as the poor energy efficiency of its housing stock. But domestically generated price pressures are likely to slow the pace of decline in headline inflation.

☆ UK recruiters slow pace of pay growth in March, REC survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) - Britain's labour market showed signs of a slowing in the sharp pace of pay growth in March and a shortage of candidates eased for the first time in two years, according to a survey of recruiters published on Wednesday. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation/KPMG said increases in starting salaries for permanent staff were the second-weakest in nearly two years, but remained high in historical terms. Billings for temporary workers, which often increase when employers are cautious about the outlook, rose at the fastest pace in six months. "The continuing fast rate of pay growth is likely reflective of the impact of inflation on wage offers, as well as low labour supply," Carberry said. Vacancies ticked up further in March although the pace of growth eased slightly from a four-month high in February.

[1/5] A general view of Highclere Castle, the stately home known around the world as the venue for "Downton Abbey", in Highclere, Britain, March 10, 2023. Highclere Castle in southern England, where the early 20th century period drama about the lives of aristocrats and their servants was filmed, is facing a serious staffing crunch. "We have stopped being able to offer any weddings of any substantial size because of Brexit," Carnarvon, a countess who owns Highclere with her husband, the eighth Earl of Carnarvon, said. Since leaving the European Union, Britain has faced worker shortages at various stages in areas such as manufacturing, construction and logistics. 'WRAPPED IN RED TAPE'Just outside Highclere Castle, in the grounds designed by 18th century landscape architect Capability Brown, dozens of chairs and a few tables lie stacked and unused.

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