“Covid: Pubs and restaurants in England to have 10pm closing times”

Sep 27, 2020 | Economy

I spent many of my formative years working in pubs. Every night we rang the bell for last orders before 10.30 chucking-out (yes, really) time. If, while on summer hols in Devon, we were still sitting in a restaurant at 9pm, the staff would be hoovering around our feet and loudly yawning. So for many of us, the Boris Ban is simply back to the ’70s. If only the music was still as good.

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“Consumer Confidence Drops Amid Budget Uncertainty”

“Consumer Confidence Drops Amid Budget Uncertainty”

Will they/won’t they? Hit pension tax relief/tax-free lump sums/annual allowance/lifetime allowance? What about Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax? And although they’ve said they won’t touch the rate of VAT, might they extend it? To the cost of our advice, for instance?

“Falling UK wage growth boosts chances of August rate cut”

“Falling UK wage growth boosts chances of August rate cut”

Silver linings and all that. Growth in wages is slowing, (some) inflation is down, which means interest rates are more than likely, I’d say, to come down a bit next month. Long-term, most predictors think they’ll get to and stay around 3.5%, quite a reduction from the current 5.25%.