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Services sector

May 2026

  • A server at a restaurant with the tables set ready for customers

    UK service sector activity slumps in one of sharpest declines for a decade

  • Rachel Reeves in a pink suit smiles while stepping out of a car holding a black bag

    Reeves seizes on surprise UK growth as evidence Labour leadership must stay

  • a fuel truck passes a BA plan on the airport tarmac

    Airlines among companies using fuel surcharges to cover surge in costs, UK survey shows

  • Empty beds lie empty along a beach at a residential beach development in Dubai

    Concierge firm co-founded by queen’s nephew went on ‘ill-timed’ hiring spree before Iran war

April 2026

  • The Bank of England

    UK braces for price rises driven by Iran war as economic confidence plummets

    Consumer confidence hit its lowest level since October 2023 this month, with surveys showing the cost pressures companies are facing

March 2026

  • a builder in a hi-viz vest scales timbered slats on a roof being built

    Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before Middle East crisis

    Zero GDP growth in January will not help Rachel Reeves claim she has put UK in position to weather oil price storm

February 2026

  • A shopper in a supermarket.

    UK inflation falls to 3%, boosting hopes of early cut in interest rates

    January annual drop is lowest level since March 2025, although still above Bank of England’s 2% target
  • Smiling barista- girl giving take away coffee cups to a customers.

    Can we make a plea for ‘thank yous’

    Letters: Readers respond to Sangeeta Pillai’s objection to Britons’ ‘pointless stream of politeness’

    • UK economy grows by only 0.1% amid falling business investment

    • double quotation markHow can Britain regain its manufacturing power? Start thinking like a developing country

      Larry Elliott

    • UK services sector job cuts continue as companies automate, PMI survey shows

January 2026

  • Starmer points as a man stands alongside speaking to him, with a Forbidden City building behind

    What agreements have been made during Starmer’s trip to China?

    Several deals have been struck so far but there does not appear to be a big bundle of investments worth billions
  • Nils Pratley

    Nils Pratley on finance
    double quotation markThe UK government’s retreat from Carillion audit reforms is feeble

    Nils Pratley
    Eight years after systemic flaws were exposed, ministers have abandoned their long-promised overhaul in favour of another ‘pro-growth’ nod
  • A cardboard box full of cash

    UK law firms get ready for crackdown on money laundering

    Harsher penalties and a ‘reshaping’ of the sector predicted when Financial Conduct Authority takes over as regulator

December 2025

  • the tall towers of the City of London in silhouette as the sun sets

    UK economy entering 2026 amid sharp private sector downturn, says CBI

  • SK Economy tipped to shrink 1.2 pct in 2020 over pandemic, Busan, SOUTH KOREA - 10 Jun 2020Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ryu Seung-Il/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock (10675367f) June 10, 2020-Busan, South Korea- A View scene of New Container Port at Busan, South Korea.South Korea's economy is expected to contract 1.2 percent this year as the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures ravaged global trade and consumption, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said Wednesday. The updated prediction, which would be the sharpest contraction since the 1998 Asian financial crisis, marked a sharp downgrade from the OECD's March forecast of 2 percent expansion. The latest OECD forecast is bleaker than a prediction by the Bank of Korea (BOK), which forecast the Korean economy to contract 0.2 percent this year. SK Economy tipped to shrink 1.2 pct in 2020 over pandemic, Busan, SOUTH KOREA - 10 Jun 2020

    UK and South Korea sign new trade deal aimed at cars, salmon and Guinness

November 2025

  • ‘I think this is going to be one of our most successful houses’ … CEO Andrew Carnie at Soho House Manchester.

    Two-sip martinis – and IV infusion drips: Soho House’s CEO on how wellness replaced hedonism

    It used to be all boozy lunches and late-night carousing. Now it’s hyperbaric chambers and longevity chat. Andrew Carnie, CEO of the private club, explains how life and trends have changed since the Covid era
  • Heather Stewart

    Economics viewpoint
    double quotation markUK watchdogs need to step in on rip-off bills, which are bad for consumers and the economy

    Heather Stewart
    From mobiles to insurance and subscriptions, firms are able to exploit the fact they know more than customers
  • The chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers a budget scene setter speech last week

    Amid disappointing UK growth, how can Rachel Reeves escape the doom loop?

    Stronger public finances require stronger economy, but large tax rises and spending cuts could squeeze activity further

October 2025

  • a woman on the Thames towpath with the skyscrapers of the City of London in the background

    UK economy expands as GDP rises by 0.1% in August ahead of crucial budget

    Manufacturing and health sectors boost growth but ONS revises down figures for July
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