#IsraelGazaWar - six months on..

No change in rates from the Bank of England - but a shift in mood that brings hope for many borrowers. Our report for ⁦BBC News (UK)⁩ at One

Newscast: in which ⁦Faisal Islam⁩ & I discuss inflation - & find ourselves in the doghouse. Catch up on ⁦BBC Sounds⁩ bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

'By opting for tax cuts the chancellor's chosen curbs on spending that could hit public services'

BBC chief economics correspondent Dharshini David provides analysis on today's Budget

bbc.in/435ajrG

How much of m (2028/29) headroom will 2p cut in NI & freezing of fuel duty take up? Roughly £12bn (assuming that cut to duty only extended by 12 months). i.e to have decent buffer left, Chancellor will have to do more than rifle down back of sofas for spare change

Remember, for every headline Budget measure there’s trade offs - and varied impacts. E.g typically likely to benefit from a NIC cut least (& hampered by any accompanying spending cuts) are those on lower incomes & women
- in this case, also those voices less heard in commentary

What would you do with £40,000? That’s how much of our money the government is spending per household on average this year. My short & snappy 5 Questions podcast on ⁦BBC Sounds⁩ looks at what Budgets actually do bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0…

Aka, as I mentioned yesterday on BBC Radio 4 government isn’t expected to hike duty, continuing decade long practice - but protocol means OBR sums (eg in Autumn Statement) have to assume rising until said otherwise. Wld be bigger story if resumed duty “escalator” in election yr

Chancellor: people “come to the limit of how high they’re prepared to see taxes go”
But tax burden may still be set for post-War high. Can it be reversed? Here’s one ⁦Caroline Bayley⁩ & I made earlier for ⁦BBC Radio 4⁩ ⁦⁦BBC Sounds⁩ bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00…

More than 50 correspondents and presenters from ⁦Sky News⁩ ⁦BBC News (UK)⁩ ⁦CNN International⁩ ⁦Channel 4 News⁩ @ITN NBC News ⁦ABC News⁩ CBS News stand together to call for access. I am among them. This by ⁦Alex Crawford⁩ explains 🔽 news.sky.com/story/israel-h…

In which Torsten Bell & I get to be Taylor Swift warm up act, graciously hosted by Adam Fleming Chris Mason
Recession Sessions may not be the catchiest title - but flatlining economy has been hitting our prosperity for a while, how we escape the malaise is a vital question

The jobs market is stalling, suggest the latest official numbers : what does that mean for those trying to get into work - and those helping them? With huge thanks to Smart Works Charity & Society of Occupational Medicine, our report for BBC News (UK) at 6

It was Alistair Darling who had to field the news that RBS would “run out of money by the early afternoon” and calmly took action to steer us through the turmoil and guard against fallout. And a delight to deal with. Sad news.

Fiscal drag is basically the act you’ve followed for ages - but the bulk of people have just discovered

In the money or short-changed? If you want to know what the Autumn Statement means, catch up with our ⁦BBC News (UK)⁩ live page - in short, Chancellor cuts National Insurance rate but tax burden still heading for post-war high bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-6…

How lovely to make the final shortlist - and in such brilliant company. Thanks to judges @pagefieldlondon.

Amidst a challenging week & Twitter algorithm-ry, I’ve only just spotted (so it’s even more welcome)

And an #AutumnStatement preview from Dharshini David - will Jeremy Hunt be Santa or Scrooge? On BBC Money Box noon BBC Radio 4

A privilege to be at St Martin-in-the-Fields to celebrate the life of the wonderful & much-missed George Alagiah

Top tip for aspiring & existing journos: Be more George

OK, I’m just going to put this out there. What’s going on in the Middle East is hideous. So many innocent lives lost. Here in UK I can see what should be reasoned debate turning into ruined friendships. We all of us need to listen and try to understand, even if we don’t agree.

Inflation sticks at 6.7% in September - but the government could be on course to meet its goal for halving the rate. Find out why - & what the numbers mean for borrowing costs in my analysis for the BBC News (UK) live page bbc.co.uk/news/live/busi…