Heather Stewart

6 days ago | theguardian.com | Heather Stewart

Thursday’s trade agreement between the US and the UK fell far short of the superlatives heaped on it in Donald Trump’s excruciating televised phone call with Keir Starmer. But it is worth having, nevertheless. As Starmer made clear by appearing in front of an audience of Jaguar Land Rover workers in Solihull, reducing the 27.5% tariff on 100,000 car exports will come as a mighty relief for that industry.

6 days ago | theguardian.com | Heather Stewart

Thursday’s interest rate cut to 4.25% is the fourth in a run of reductions that kicked off last August. It represents a fillip for Rachel Reeves, who will hope it helps revive the feelgood factor for gloomy British consumers. The Bank of England’s nine-member monetary policy committee (MPC) has passed judgment on the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war for the UK – and expects modestly weaker growth and inflation to be the result.

6 days ago | sg.finance.yahoo.com | Phillip Inman |Heather Stewart

Phillip Inman and Heather Stewart Thu, 8 May 2025 at 6:45 am GMT-5 3 min read The widely expected cut by the MPC, its fourth cut since last August, should lead to cheaper mortgages for homeowners.Photograph: Maureen McLean/REX/Shutterstock Bank of England policymakers have cut interest rates by a quarter point to 4.25% to cushion the UK economy against the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war.

6 days ago | theguardian.com | Heather Stewart

Bank of England policymakers have cut interest rates by a quarter point to 4.25% to cushion the UK economy against the impact of Donald Trump’s trade war. The widely expected move from the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC), its fourth cut since last August, should lead to cheaper mortgages for homeowners. It follows a run of downbeat data on the UK economy, with surveys suggesting consumer and business confidence is weakening.

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Heather Stewart

Ten days reporting from the US – in Pittsburgh, Washington DC, and just across the Potomac river in Arlington, Virginia – gave me a fascinating snapshot of what feels like the slow-motion unravelling of the world’s largest economy. So many conversations featured uncertainty and wariness; and weariness, too, as businesses and consumers weigh up every decision, against the backdrop of the chaos emanating from the White House.