Labour conference: No 10 braced for potential defeat on winter fuel allowance vote as trade unions set to back motion – as it happened

Unison and GMB understood to be likely to back motion to reverse policy

Health and productivity losses from obesity ‘far outstrip weight-loss jab costs’

Exclusive: £100bn-a-year cost of obesity to UK makes clear economic case for use of drugs such as Ozempic, says report

Labour should ditch doom and gloom message for one of economic renewal

Before first conference speech by a Labour chancellor for 15 years, downbeat tune may have been overcooked

‘Scam and scandal’: ex-aid chief raises alarm over £4bn Tory asylum contracts

The former top civil servant at the Department for International Development has warned a lack of oversight in spending echoes corrupt contracts awarded during Covid

Why has Australia fallen so short on housing targets – and how can it get out of the crisis?

Amid rising costs and a lack of productivity in the construction sector, some say relaxing building standards could help. But others aren’t convinced

A rise in fuel duty needn’t be a car crash for Rachel Reeves

With petrol prices and inflation both low, motorists can absorb a reversing of Sunak’s 5p cut – and it could even boost electric car sales

UK savers urged to find better deals after several banks cut interest rates

Bank of England may have kept rates steady this week but TSB, NS&I and others have all announced cuts

Labour’s tax red lines have left Reeves with ‘one hand tied’ for budget, says IFS

Ruling out of rises to four main taxes could lead chancellor to make ‘economically damaging’ decisions, says thinktank

UK consumer confidence tumbles as households fear ‘painful’ budget; UK debt hits 100% of GDP – as it happened

Consumers are nervously awaiting the budget, reports data provider GfK, while national debt hits highest level since 1960s

UK debt hits 100% of GDP, the highest level since 1960s

Debt pile increases by 4.3 percentage points in year to August, adding to challenge for chancellor Rachel Reeves

UK consumer confidence falls sharply amid fears of ‘painful’ budget

Concerns over government plans wipe out progress made this year to rebuild household morale

Fear and sanctions have failed to get Britain working. Why not try tea and empathy?

A radical rebrand will get people off benefits and into training and work, says the Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

Wall Street hits all-time highs after Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut

S&P 500 climbs 1.7% for highest close since July, while Dow Jones and Nasdaq also welcome rises

Interest rates ‘on path down’ despite hold at 5%, Bank of England chief says

Bank voted on Thursday not to change borrowing costs – but Andrew Bailey says cuts likely to resume

Bank of England governor ‘optimistic’ that interest rates can be cut, after ‘no change’ decision today – as it happened

Cautious Bank of England governor says “we need to be careful not to cut too fast or by too much”, after leaving borrowing costs unchanged in 8-1 vote