At £923.3bn, the UK's total export results for 2025 seem healthy at first glance, representing a 3.5% increase over 2024. But UK goods exports were only £377.5bn, down -2.2%.
Patients benefit from earlier access to technologies that could improve or save lives, as the MHRA approved 17 per cent more clinical investigations in 2025 compared with 2024, and launches measures to support innovation and growth. UK patients could be among the first in the world to benefit from breakthrough medical devices, as clinical investigations reach their highest level on record in 2025.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has announced that workers facing redundancy from ExxonMobil's Fife Ethylene Plant in Mossmorran will receive tailored support to help them find new jobs. The Scottish Government-funded initiative, delivered by Fife College, will see both direct employees and contractors receive individual assessments of their training needs.
CPI inflation fell in January, dropping by 0.4 percentage points compared with December to reach 3.0 per cent. This is the largest fall since September 2024 and should now settle back around the 2 per cent target in the coming months for the first time since before the pandemic, the Resolution Foundation said on Wednesday 18 February 2026.
With no big changes expected in the fiscal forecasts on 3rd March, the Government's priority should be to minimise policy uncertainty and double-down on boosting growth, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday). New analysis published by the Foundation today estimates that in the three months since the Budget, news on the economy has been small and offsetting.
UK CPI (Consumer Prices Index) rose by 3.0% in the 12 months to January 2026, down from 3.4% in December 2025. This is the lowest annual CPI inflation rate since March 2025.
Scotland's overall job market is relatively stronger than the UK average, with lower unemployment for all ages and reasonably high employment rates. Youth unemployment in Scotland is lower than the UK average, with past estimates showing roughly ~10-11% for 16–24-year-olds — notably less severe than recent UK youth joblessness figures near ~14–16%.
The latest inflation data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has strengthened the sense that the UK economy is moving into a new phase—one defined less by runaway prices and more by cautious optimism. With consumer price inflation easing to 3.0% in January 2026, its lowest level in almost a year, attention has rapidly shifted from inflation itself to what comes next: interest rates, and crucially, how households especially prospective home buyers are responding in anticipation.
New TUC analysis published recently (Sunday) revealed that the average woman effectively works for 47 days of the year for free and only starts earning from today compared to the average man. New TUC analysis reveals the earnings gulf between women and men leaves women making over £2,548 a year less than men on average.
A recent report by Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has put a stark figure on Europe's new defence ambitions: up to €650 billion in rearmament capital over the next four years, channelled through the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism. At the heart of the proposal is a controversial idea — a "Buy European" mandate that explicitly prioritises the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS).
Input Prices (Costs to Manufacturers) Annual change: -0.2% in the year to January 2026, down from a rise in December 2025. This indicates manufacturers paid less for materials and fuels overall compared with a year ago.
Is the message in the video true? Yes and Here's why. The video features Martin Lewis explaining a common misunderstanding about credit cards: If you spend £1,000 on a credit card and repay £999.99, you don’t pay interest on the missing penny you pay interest on the entire £1,000.
Yes there is a strong signal that young people in the UK are struggling more in the labour market than usual. According to the latest figures, the youth unemployment rate (among 16 to 24-year-olds) has climbed sharply and recently hit around 16.1%, its highest level outside the COVID-19 period in more than a decade.
People in Scotland will have access to expanded 24/7 mental health support, backed by an estimated £1.5 billion of investment on mental health and wellbeing support from the Scottish Government. This funding includes £3.5 million of new investment announced today which will make it easier for people to get the help they need, reducing pressure on A&E and other emergency services like Police Scotland.
This subject is all over the news so tension is building as to what he government will finally say. Based on the most recent reporting, the answer is there are strong signs of a possible delay, even though ministers publicly insist the policy has not been abandoned.
Up to 30,000 extra hours of adult social care work are expected to be secured every month through the Adult Social Care Displaced Workers Scheme. The scheme, backed by £500,000 Scottish Government funding, is helping employers recruit international workers who are already in the UK and find themselves without sponsored employment at no fault of their own.
For months now, political leaders and commentators have pointed to falling inflation as evidence that the cost‑of‑living crisis is easing. Technically, they're right: the rate at which prices are rising has slowed.
New proposals for onshore renewable energy developments. Communities across Scotland could see more money invested in their area as a result of onshore renewable energy developments under new proposals published today.
Inflation easing boosts expectations of rate cuts but this may need further reductions in inflation before a further cut in interest rates is likely. January 2026 CPI inflation fell to 3.0%, the lowest in nearly a year, largely due to weaker prices for petrol, food and airfares.
The most recent productivity figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), covering the final quarter of 2025. It paints a mixed picture of the UK's productivity performance, highlighting both progress relative to pre-pandemic levels and slowing momentum compared with recent quarters.