UK motor fuel prices rise since Middle East conflict began, and energy bills could jump 10% in July – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

War in Middle East ‘could wipe out growth in UK living standards’

Rising oil and gas prices may affect increase of £300 a year for typical working-age households, says leading thinktank

European stock markets rally after report of ‘secret outreach’ by Iran to try to end war

UK’s FTSE 100 up by more than 50 points, while pan-European Stoxx 600 share index rises 1.2%

Wednesday briefing: ​​Was the chancellor’s spring statement already out of date?

In today’s newsletter: ​Against a backdrop of global turbulence, Rachel Reeve’s surprisingly upbeat tone failed to reassure when our supposed economic stability rests on forces mostly outside of the government’s control

What will Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast mean for household finances?

The chancellor promises more money in people’s pockets, but the Iran crisis makes steeper inflation a pressing worry

UK borrowing costs jump again on fears Iran conflict will curb growth

Investors suspect rising oil and gas costs will stoke inflation and delay cuts in interest rates

Unemployment set to hit 5.3% this year amid ‘worrying’ rise in young jobless

OBR raises forecast from 4.9% and downgrades UK’s growth prospects for 2026 – while also warning of war uncertainty

Iran conflict could have ‘very significant’ impact on UK economy, OBR warns; FTSE 100’s biggest fall in 11 months – as it happened

Spring forecast show UK unempoyment to peak higher than feared, as tax take heads for a record, but headroom against fiscal rules has increased

Reeves’s spring statement? The economy is great, don’t worry about the Middle East

With no spending or fiscal commitments to offer, the chancellor kept it short, sweet and just a little tin-eared

Reeves’s talk of stability may be misplaced amid Iran war turmoil

Attempt to project calm in spring forecast may be short-lived if living costs and unemployment keep climbing

‘I’m concerned the Iran war might drive up living costs’: Britons respond to Reeves’s spring forecast

The chancellor’s statement offered little new on tax or spending, but readers voiced concerns about rising costs

Global economy must stop pandering to ‘frivolous desires of ultra-rich’, says UN expert

Olivier De Schutter says new economic agenda needed to tackle crises of rising inequality and ecological collapse

Spring forecast: Reeves insists Labour has ‘right economic plan’ as 2026 growth downgraded

Unemployment predicted to continue rising to 5.3% as chancellor says she is meeting energy firms amid soaring oil and gas prices

Stock markets slump amid Iran war as gas prices jump 30% to three-year high

FTSE 100 on track for its worst day in 11 months, while Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s Kospi also fall

Surprise jump in UK grocery inflation makes interest rate cut less probable

ECB says Middle East war could cause higher inflationary pressure and warns of potential ‘sharp drop in output’