Chancellor seems to cherrypick data as he tries to outline how the Tories have got the country back on its feet Jeremy Hunt called a press conference on Friday to outline why the electorate should trust the Conservatives with the economy, but some of his claims appear to have used cherrypicked facts and figures. He gave his speech just over a week after the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, accused the Conservatives of gaslighting the UK over the state of the economy by presenting too rosy a pic

Barclays analysis may be somewhat off the mark, but the megastar is tapping into a new trend in spending Taylor Swift has long been credited with an outsized influence on music, celebrity culture even politics. But reviving the UKs flagging economy may be too much to ask, even of the sequinned megastar. Research published by analysts from Barclays this week pointed to the extraordinary spending surge that ensues when Swift touches down, and suggested she could bring a 1bn boost to the UK. Conti

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news Elsewhere in the water industry, United Utilities has said it expects financial penalties due to flooding problems last year. United Utilities , which reportedly pumped millions of litres of raw sewage into lake Windermere earlier this year, has reported profit after tax of 127m for the year to 31 March. We are now absolutely focused on another record summer which is expected to deliver strong FY24 earnings growth and are on track to ach

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development cuts growth forecasts for regions it operates in, saying war casting long shadow Ukraines war-torn economy faces a renewed threat as Russias intensifying war takes its toll on power plants and forces Kyiv to send key workers to the frontline, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has warned. In its latest economic update, the EBRD cut its growth forecasts and said more than two years of fighting in Ukraine was affecting not only the