6:39 am, September 7, 2026
UK economy expected to have dipped in July despite World Cup boost
The UK economy is likely to have shrunk slightly in July due to pressure from weak retail sales and increased energy costs for households, economists have warned.
Experts at Investec and Pantheon Macroeconomics have predicted that the Office for National Statistics will reveal UK GDP fell by 0.1% for the month when it releases the latest growth data on September 11.
In June, the UK economy grew 0.3% as hospitality and leisure firms received a boost from football fever and the prolonged hot weather. However, economists have predicted that there is now likely to be a correction as stronger-than-expected June activity may have brought forward spending from July.
John Healey unveils £150m fund for northern firms in push for growth
The chancellor will unveil a £150m fund for fast-growing northern firms as he sets out plans to grow the economy through an ‘active’ state.
John Healey will seek to tell an ‘optimistic story’ about Britain in a major speech on Monday, echoing prime minister Andy Burnham’s push to strike a more upbeat note than his predecessor.
The British Business Bank will commit up to £150m to a new fund ‘to get behind the most innovative and fast-growing firms’, the chancellor will say. The pot will offer investments of between £5m and £15m to help university spin-outs and other innovative companies across the North of England expand.
Mitsubishi’s Pajero returns as rough-and-tough off-roader
Mitsubishi has revived its Pajero name for a new off-roader.
It gets a 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel engine with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. All-in, the Pajero produces 200bhp and 480Nm of torque, with Mitsubishi claiming a 3.5-tonne tow limit. Naturally, all-wheel-drive comes as standard, with a low-range transfer case and torque vectoring there to allow the Shogun to conquer serious terrain.
While Mitsubishi has yet to confirm the Pajero for the UK, it has stated that it will launch the car in Japan and Australia soon, before introducing it ‘in approximately 100 countries worldwide’ from 2027 onwards.
The markets
European stocks closed little changed on Friday while US equities fell after stronger-than-expected jobs data raised chances of an interest rate hike in September.
The FTSE 100 index closed down 0.43 of a point at 10,831.09. The FTSE 250 ended up 88.58 points, 0.4%, at 24,584.71, and the AIM all-share closed up 0.10 of a point at 799.91.
The pound was quoted at 1.3522 US dollars on Friday, down from 1.3536 dollars on Thursday. It had traded as low as 1.3496 dolars in the wake of the jobs report.
Hundreds of protesters in standoff with police after migrant boat arrives
Hundreds of demonstrators were in a standoff with police overnight as they vowed to prevent migrants leaving Portsmouth after they arrived in a small boat.
They blocked roads for hours and were vowing to stay all night in the second major anti-migrant protest of the weekend. Large crowds of masked, black-clad men blocked road access to the Port of Dover on Saturday, in scenes which have been condemned by politicians.
The dinghy, reported to be carrying some 140 migrants, is thought to have made one of the longest journeys of any small boat and landings as far west as Hampshire are rare.
Far-right German party falls just short of majority in regional election
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election on Sunday, but fell short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country’s first far-right state government since the Second World War.
The party of Germany’s unpopular leader, chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt as the anti-migration and Russia-friendly AfD’s candidate for governor said ‘we have written history’ and the party has a clear mandate to govern.
Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that ‘things cannot carry on like this’.
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Weather
A windy day with sunny spells for many areas, reports BBC Weather. However, rain will reach Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and, during the evening, Wales and northern England.
Tonight, showers will turn more frequent, and it’ll remain a windy night.