News Archive

Battle Against Pests And Pathogens Stepped Up With New Funding For National Tree Health Laboratory

£4 million to expand world-leading laboratories to improve UK biosecurity and tackle emerging threats to tree health.   The battle against tree-disease spreading beetles such as the Emerald ash borer and the larger eight-toothed spruce bark beetle has taken a significant step forward today thanks to new government funding.  

Our New Vaccine Could Protect Against Coronaviruses That Haven't Even Emerged Yet - New Study

The rapid development of vaccines that protect against COVID was a remarkable scientific achievement that saved millions of lives.  The vaccines have demonstrated substantial success in reducing death and serious illness after COVID infection.  

Astrazeneca's Covid Vaccine Withdrawn - Right To The End It Was The Victim Of Misinformation

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was a critical part of the COVID-19 pandemic response.  However, on May 7 2024, the European Commission announced the vaccine is no longer authorised for use.  

Displaced Ukrainian Women Land New Careers In Tech Thanks To Royal Bank Of Scotland Partnership

A first-of-its-kind training programme helping displaced Ukrainian women to develop the skills needed to start a career in tech is celebrating its first anniversary with a host of permanent job offers.   Royal Bank of Scotland's Women in Tech pilot - delivered in partnership with Code First Girls, Capital City Partnership, Equate and Data Lab – has enabled three displaced Ukrainian women to secure full-time positions at the bank’s Edinburgh headquarters.  

No Joy For Borrowers As Bank Rate Maintained At 5.25% - May 2024

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment.  At its meeting ending on 8 May 2024, the MPC voted by a majority of 7-2 to maintain Bank Rate at 5.25%.  

Construction Output In Great Britain - March 2024, New Orders And Construction Output Price Indices, January To March 2024

Short-term measures of output by the construction industry in March 2024, contracts awarded for new construction work in Great Britain and a summary of the Construction Output Price Indices (OPIs) in the UK for Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2024.   Monthly construction output is estimated to have decreased 0.4% in volume terms in March 2024; this came from decreases in both new work (0.7% fall) and repair and maintenance (0.1% fall).  

GDP Monthly Estimate, UK - March 2024 - Increase 0.4%

Monthly real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have grown by 0.4% in March 2024, following growth of 0.2% in February 2024 (revised up from 0.1% growth in our previous publication) and an unrevised growth of 0.3% in January 2024.   Real gross domestic product is estimated to have grown by 0.6% in the three months to March 2024, compared with the three months to December 2023.  

Index Of Production UK - March 2024

Monthly production output was estimated to have risen by 0.2% in March 2024; this follows a rise of 1.0% in February 2024 (revised down 0.1 percentage point) and a fall of 0.5% in January 2024 (revised down 0.2 percentage points).   The monthly increase in output for March 2024 resulted from a rise in two of the four production sectors, with the largest contribution from "manufacturing" (0.3%) and a smaller contribution from "mining and quarrying" (1.0%); this was partially offset by falls in "electricity and gas" (0.9%) and "water supply and sewerage" (0.1%).  

Index Of Services UK - March 2024 - Up 0.7%

We estimate that monthly services output increased by 0.5% in March 2024, following a revised increase of 0.3% (up 0.2 percentage points) in February 2024 and a revised increase of 0.4% (up 0.1 percentage points) in January 2024.   The Index of Services (IoS) saw monthly increases in 10 of the 14 sectors in March 2024, with the majority of monthly growth coming from the five largest contributing sectors: "human health and social activities" (1.1%), "administrative and support service activities" (1.6%), "wholesale and retail trade" (0.9%), "accommodation and food service activities" (2.7%), and "professional, scientific and technical activities" (0.9%).  

Brexit May Allow Changes To Pesticide Rules For Farmers To Increase Levels In Drinking Water

So many things are creeping up on us since Brexit.   Weaken post-Brexit rules on pesticides in drinking water, farming lobby told minister Unearthed reporter Zach Boren has a new story out this morning, giving an insight into how the National Farmers Union (NFU) wants the UK to use its post-Brexit freedoms.