Timelines
How the main stories unfold, day after day: each timeline gathers the articles about one event, with a summary.
- Budget to increase cash for social housing and give England's mayors more powers
English mayors are to get new powers and more funding to boost regional growth, The Independent reported on Saturday 24 October, the Prime Minister saying this will prevent local leaders from having to go 'cap in hand' to Whitehall. The Budget is to increase cash for social housing and give England's mayors more powers, the Evening Standard and The Independent then reported, Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying local leaders should not have to go 'cap in hand' to Whitehall to fund projects.
- Chancellor John Healey plans to slash 'pointless paperwork' to save businesses £800m
Chancellor John Healey plans to slash 'pointless paperwork' in a bid to save businesses £800m, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Friday 23 October, the Chancellor and Prime Minister Andy Burnham being due to meet small business leaders at No 10 North that day. Healey said a package to streamline regulation on reporting requirements as well as further tariff reductions will save businesses around £800m a year, City A.M. reported, in a pre-Budget announcement confirming that the government would make reporting requirements for firms and asset managers easier. Ministers say the changes in regulations will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, according to BBC News, and The Independent reported that John Healey wants to cut back on 'form-filling' to give companies 'breathing space'.
- UK business activity grows at the fastest pace for eight months, early figures show
UK business activity grew at the fastest pace for eight months, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Friday 23 October. New early figures showed that firms were boosted by the sharpest rise in new work for two years, according to both outlets.
- UK retail sales volumes fall 0.4% in September as warm weather hits winter clothing demand
UK retail sales volumes fell by 0.4% in September compared with the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Friday 23 October. The drop came after warm weather hit demand for winter clothing, according to both outlets.
- UK gender pay gap declines, with the gap for full-time employees at 6.8% in April
The UK gender pay gap has declined, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Thursday 22 October, the two outlets headlining that the decline comes as more workers are in low-paid jobs. The Office for National Statistics found that the gender pay gap for full-time employees was 6.8% in April, according to the two outlets.
- UK government announces an extra £220m to be spent on pothole repairs
The UK government announced an extra £220m to be spent on pothole repairs, the Liverpool Echo reported on Thursday 22 October. The Liverpool Echo wrote that drivers could save up to £600 on repairs.
- Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia: UK to deploy jets, US orders some diplomats to leave
Saudi Arabia is to postpone the in-person 'Davos in the desert' event after Houthi attacks, the Financial Times reported on Monday 19 October, the annual Future Investment Initiative having been scheduled to begin next week in Riyadh, and The Independent said the rebel group has delivered yet another economic blow to the kingdom. On Tuesday 20 October the UK announced it will provide additional defensive military support to Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate in the region, BBC News reported, The Independent saying the UK will fly defensive counter air missions using RAF Typhoon fighter jets. The Guardian said the operation, the most significant military mission signed off by Andy Burnham as prime minister, will involve RAF pilots attempting to shoot down Houthi missiles and drones, and the Evening Standard reported that Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the 'absolutely despicable' attacks on the kingdom. On Wednesday 21 October The Independent reported that the US State Department is ordering some diplomats and the families of US government employees to leave Saudi Arabia as fears of escalating Houthi attacks rise. The Guardian reported on Thursday 22 October that some US diplomats had been told to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks, saying reports had emerged of similar withdrawals in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain amid concerns about a return to conflict with Iran after the US midterm elections.
- Consumer confidence tumbles ahead of the Budget as expectations for the economy fall to minus 40
Consumer confidence tumbled ahead of the Budget, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Thursday 22 October. Expectations for the state of the economy over the next three months fell from minus 34 to minus 40 this month, according to new figures reported by the two outlets.
- UK inflation rises more than expected to 3.5% in September as fuel prices climb
The rate of Consumer Prices Index inflation was 3.5% in September, up from 3.1% in August, the Office for National Statistics said, the highest rate in almost a year after fuel prices climbed, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Wednesday 21 October. UK inflation climbed by more than expected, economists having forecast an increase to 3.4%, after a surge in prices from the conflict in the Middle East pushed the cost of diesel above £2 a litre, according to The Guardian, whose business live page said petrol and diesel costs rose the most in four years, while Wales Online and the Bristol Post said transport costs were the single largest contributor to the upturn. The cost of filling up with petrol was up 26.5% year on year in September, compared with an annual rise of 20.2% in August, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported. The Guardian called the figure a blow to John Healey before the chancellor's first budget in a week's time, amid fears the rate will breach 4% next year, the Evening Standard describing a pre-Budget blow to Chancellor John Healey. The Financial Times said the figure will strengthen expectations of a Bank of England rate rise in November, headline and core inflation having accelerated ahead of the November meeting, and The Independent reported that an interest rate hike is 'firmly on table', experts saying the latest official data reinforced expectations of a hike in November.
- UK government borrowing rises above forecasts to £24.5bn in September ahead of the Budget
Public sector net borrowing rose by £1.8 billion to £24.5 billion for September, above forecasts, the Office for National Statistics reported, according to the Evening Standard and The Independent on Wednesday 21 October. The Financial Times said the higher-than-expected figures for September are the final snapshot of the public finances before the Budget on October 28, and The Guardian reported that the government paid £10.9bn in debt interest, the highest September figure since records began, as John Healey prepares for the budget.
- Stratford International station to get Budget funding for international trains, according to reports
Stratford is moving closer to an international rail upgrade with a Budget boost, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday 21 October, saying London mayor Sadiq Khan has been in talks over funding options for improving the rail hub. Services to and from France could stop at Stratford International Station under a landmark £20million plan, the Evening Standard reported in an exclusive, international trains being set to run from a second station within four years.
- Annual UK house price growth slows for a fourth month in a row, ONS says
Annual UK house price growth slowed in August for the fourth month in a row, the Office for National Statistics said, the Evening Standard reported on Wednesday 21 October. In London, the average property value fell by 2.2% annually in August, driven by falling prices for flats, according to the ONS.
- Full new state pension set to top £13,000 next year under the triple lock guarantee
The full new state pension is set to top £13,000 under the triple lock guarantee, The Independent and the Evening Standard reported on Wednesday 21 October, the state pension being on course to increase next year in line with wages, which emerged after inflation figures were published that day. Someone on the full new state pension is on course to receive £250.70 per week, according to the Manchester Evening News.
- NS&I puts a new issue of Green Savings Bonds on sale with an increased rate
NS&I has put a new issue of Green Savings Bonds on sale with an increased rate, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Tuesday 20 October. The bonds enable savers to help fund green government projects, according to the two outlets.
- Government unveils private parking rules with a five-minute grace period and a £20 cap for mistakes
The Government has unveiled new rules for private parking, the Manchester Evening News, The Independent, The Guardian, i News, the Evening Standard and The Scotsman reported on Monday 19 October, The Independent saying motorists will receive fresh protections to dispute unreasonable charges and The Guardian that Andy Burnham outlined the rules to outlaw 'rip-off' private parking fines. Drivers will get a guaranteed five-minute decision period upon arrival, according to The Independent, and 10 minutes to leave after their session ends, according to The Guardian, while the Manchester Evening News reported a £20 cap for private parking mistakes. Maximum parking charges will be frozen at £100 under the new code of practice, the Evening Standard said, and The Scotsman said the code will apply in Scotland as well as England and Wales and will give drivers the right to have charges cancelled on appeal for honest mistakes and for issues they cannot control. The Manchester Evening News said the Prime Minister is 'putting a stop to charges that leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket', and on Tuesday 20 October Chronicle Live reported that Andy Burnham confirmed the new parking rules including '10 minutes to leave', The Independent saying an updated code of practice will give drivers a 10-minute grace window to depart car parks after their paid session ends and that the code will bring in a fully independent scrutiny and oversight board.
- Chancellor Healey rules out raising capital gains tax in the Budget
Chancellor Healey has rejected calls to raise capital gains tax at the Budget, having faced a barrage of voices urging a rise in the tax, which applies to the profit made from selling off assets, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Tuesday 20 October. The Financial Times reported that the Chancellor decided against raising CGT rates after business leaders warned it would damage confidence in the economy.
- UK profit warnings jump to the highest since 2024 ahead of the Budget, EY says
EY's latest profit warning report showed that 65 UK-listed companies warned over profits in the three months to the end of September, as profit warnings jumped to the highest since 2024 ahead of the Budget, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Monday 19 October. Almost a fifth of listed companies, 17 per cent, have issued at least one profit warning over the past 12 months, The Independent reported. City A.M. wrote that businesses issued 65 profit warnings during the period, up from 59 in the second quarter, as an energy shock brought on by the Iran war fuelled inflation.
- UK unemployment falls to its lowest in a year but job vacancies drop below 700,000
UK unemployment fell to its lowest in a year but vacancies slid further, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Tuesday 20 October, and Sky News said the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.7%, in a set of official figures that will support the case for a Bank of England interest rate hike next month. Job vacancies have fallen below 700,000 for the first time in over five years as the UK labour market continued to show signs of weakening, City A.M. reported, and the Evening Standard and The Independent reported that shrinking vacancies are a 'bitter blow' to jobseekers, the number of vacancies having seen its biggest decline since the start of the year. According to The Guardian, early estimates for July to September 2026 suggest a decrease of 21,000 (2.9%) vacancies to 691,000 compared with April to June 2026, the first time the total has been below 700,000 since February to April 2021, with the largest industry decrease in construction, down 7,000 vacancies. The ONS's data also showed a boost for average wage growth across the UK workforce, according to the Evening Standard and The Independent, while The Guardian reported that regular pay growth rose in the last quarter but that, once bonuses are accounted for, wage growth slowed, and the Financial Times said the snapshot of the labour market comes ahead of chancellor John Healey's high-stakes Budget next week.
- New Bradford railway station to be built at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme
A new railway station will be built in Bradford to 'transform how people travel across the north', the government has announced, The Guardian reported on Tuesday 20 October. The station will be at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) scheme, built on the current Bradford Interchange site but allowing through trains between Leeds and Manchester, with a 'turn-up-and-go' service, according to The Guardian. According to The Independent, the DfT says passengers will benefit from more frequent trains, improved journey times and reliability, and Bradford's new rail station is predicted to bring £1bn to the local economy.
- Consumer confidence slumps to its lowest point in more than three years
Consumer confidence slumped to its lowest point in more than three years, the Evening Standard and The Independent reported on Monday 19 October. October saw a sharp deterioration in confidence, with 57% of households expecting a shift to higher interest rates, according to S&P Global figures cited by the two outlets.