US Agency for Global Media USAGM

News and Information from Around the World

← Back to Direct feed

Burnham warns of ‘difficult decisions’ in budget as inflation rises to 3.1%

16 Sep 2026, 15:17 GMT By Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent
Download metadata bundle
The Guardian logo
Article Burnham warns of ‘difficult decisions’ in budget as inflation rises to 3.1%
Credit: Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent

PM rejects claim he leads a ‘tax-and-spend’ government, as Bank of England prepares for interest rates decision Andy Burnham has said “difficult decisions” will need to be taken in next month’s budget after a rise in energy prices triggered by the Iran war drove UK inflation above 3%. In a fresh blow for living standards amid the worsening damage to the global economy from the Middle East conflict, official figures showed soaring fuel prices pushed inflation from 2.9% in July to 3.1% in August. Continue reading...