consumer prices index rose by 2.5% in the 12 months to december last year, according to the office for national statistics that's down from 2.6% the previous month. restaurants and hotels helped keep the rate down, with transport pushing prices higher. despite a slight fall, the rate is still above the bank of england's target of 2%. the base rate of interest in the uk currently stands at 4.75%, but expectations for a rate cut next month have grown following today's unexpected fall in inflation. the latest figures come after pressure has increased on the public finances in recent days due to government borrowing costs hitting their highest level for several years. let's speak now to ellie henderson, uk economist at investec. talk to me about this number today. it isjust talk to me about this number today. it is just one number, talk to me about this number today. it isjust one number, a snapshot of what has gone on in the past, but what does it tell us about the state of the economy right now? today's data was certainly _ economy right now? today's data was certainly encouraging. - economy right now? toda

jobless rate ticked up to 4.4% in the three months to the end of november, according to the office for national statisticsreeping higher, raising fears about stubborn inflation. average weekly earnings were 5.6% higher over the three—month period compared to last year. michael stull, uk managing director of recruitment giant manpowergroup, says they are seeing warning signals about the state of the labour market in the uk. i will say that from a wage perspective, they remain stubbornly high. we know that wages take a long time to work through the cycle and will often lag what we see happening in the market. our data at manpowergroup will tell us that in the fourth quarter, wages onjob postings dropped by 9%. so i do think that we will see wage pressure go down. but broadly speaking, i think these numbers still underline the fact that we are in a hiring recession. we see that demand is very soft for workers right now. if we look year over year, it's down 30%. we usually see a nice rise at the end of the year as we have holiday hiring taking place. we didn't see it this year. the second thing to note is tha

he works for the office for national statistics and is a rep for the pcs trade union. office? for what i do personally? very rarely. the work that i do is pretty much entirely virtual. so a lot of the it work that i do is on things that don't exist. you don't pick them up and move them. they are based in the ether, out in the internet somewhere. we are going to school. since the pandemic, ed says he's mainly worked remotely from home rather than go to the office in newport. it's just far easier to be able to wake up and get the children to school and nursery and then come back and start work fresh, get my best quality hours of work done, rather than wasting them spending an hour commuting into the office. in november 2023, every civil servant, including ed, was asked to come into the office two to three days a week. i struggle to see the logic and the argument that's being put forwards to say, "actually, we need you back in the office." like...we�*ve never been told by senior leaders at the ons that there is a problem with productivity, there's a problem with quality,

the office for national statistics said public sector net borrowing was over £10 billion higher thanmonth in 2023. the chief secretary to the treasury darrenjones this morning said the upcoming spending review would interrogate every line of government spending for the first time in 17 years. earnings season is in full swing in the us, with netflix reporting its results for the october to december quarter. and it would seem netflix is going from strength to strength with the streaming giant outperforming analysts expectations by adding a record 18.9 million subscribers during the holiday period. those numbers were helped by a whole batch of new content, with two back—to—back nfl games, including the jake paul vs mike tyson boxing match, and the return of the popular series squid game. ross benes is senior analyst, tv and streaming, emarketerand tv and streaming, at emarketer and he told me about the resilience of the netflix subscriber base. fewer people cancel netflix than they do to the other streaming services. it's almost like a utility bill that most people will just keep resubs

the office for national statistics said public sector net borrowing was over £10 billion higher thaname month in 2023. the chief secretary to the treasury darrenjones this morning said the upcoming spending review would interrogate every line of government spending for the first time in 17 years. we will be across this at bbc news. the airline easyjet has this morning reported a smaller operating loss in the final quarter of 2024, as costs eased and holiday—makers travelled more over the christmas period. the loss came in at £40 million compared with £117 million a year earlier. the company has just taken on a new boss, the former chief financial officer kenton jarvis. and last week it announced it would resume flights to israel after halting them due to the ongoing conflict in the middle east. speaking to me a short time ago, airline analystjohn grant gave me his reaction to these results. i think they're doing very well, they have improved in what is their first quarter of the year, and they are heading into 2025 in a very good position. yes, they have a new ceo but he was the cfo,

that's according to new data in the past hour from the office for national statistics.nemployment rate has ticked up slightly to 4.4%. let's hear now from michael stull, uk managing director of manpowergroup. michael, good morning. what is your interpretation of these numbers?— your interpretation of these numbers? ~ ., ., numbers? well, i would say that from a wage _ numbers? well, i would say that from a wage perspective, - numbers? well, i would say that from a wage perspective, they . from a wage perspective, they remain stubbornly high. we know it will take a long time to work through the cycle and it will often lag what we see happening in the markets. our data will tell us that in the fourth quarter, wages and job postings dropped by 9%, so i do think we will see wage pressure go down. but broadly speaking, i think the numbers still underline the fact that we are in a hiring recession. we see that demand is very soft for workers right now, if we look year over year, workers right now, if we look year overyear, it workers right now, if we look year over year, it i

ed is an it manager at the office for national statistics and works almost entirely from home.nd then come back and start work fresh, get my best quality hours of work done, rather than wasting them spending an hour commuting into the office. he and other civil servants have been asked to come back to the office for two to three days a week. but along with other members of the pcs union, he's refusing to go back in and is continuing to work at home. for a nurse, there is literally no choice whether they go onto the hospital ward, and their taxes are paying your salary. do you think there's a problem there? the best use of taxpayers' money is whatever can be done that delivers the best value for the public. the ons says it believes that a reasonable level of office attendance is in the best interests of the ons, and it helps to build working relationships and innovation. now many businesses are pushing back on working from home. household names like boots, sports direct and amazon have called their head office staff into work every day. lord rose used to run marks & spencer, and

the office for national statistics says the rate at which prices were rising was 2.5%, which is downnterest rates next month more likely. here's our economcs editor, faisal islam. at ennio's hotel and restaurant on the southampton quayside, inflation may well have stabilised, but they're still feeling the cost squeeze. last year was a good year. it was — it was as expected, as expected. but pressures, including from the budget, loom over this industry. we need to increase our menu prices. but how far do you increase that? for example, we'rejust, we were talking today about a valentine's, a valentine's event. and, you know, we're looking at the price of a menu for last year and the offering, and we think, well, we can't do that any less than £10 more than we did last year because that's what we have to do. £10 per head? yeah. because that's the cost. yeah. it was falls in hotel prices that actually helped drive down the headline rate of inflation a bit. how employers likejohnnie respond to the rise in national insurance raising prices or limiting wage rises will matter for where infla

consumer prices index rose by 2.5% in the 12 months to december last year, according to the office for national statisticshat's down from 2.6% the previous month. the fact that it is now going down rather than going up is a relief for many. restaurants and hotels helped keep the rate down, with transport pushing prices higher. despite a slight fall, the rate is still above the bank of england's target of 2%. the base rate of interest in the uk currently stands at 4.75% and some analysts expect a more cautious approach to rate cutting this year with inflation remaining high. the bank of england's next decision will be early in february. the latest figures come after pressure has increased on the public finances in recent days due to government borrowing costs hitting their highest level for several years. simon french is chief economist and head of research at panmure liberum. hejoins us now. simon, do you think there will be an audible sigh of relief coming from the corridors in the treasury and the bank of england that this rate has not gone higher? you could almost hear that sigh of relief from a mile a

we are expecting those numbers from the office for national statistics in about 25 minutes so i will on what they are then. to new york now — because after a wobbly start to the year — the bulls are very much back — with the dow, s&p 500 and nasdaq racking up their best day in more than two months. as well as encouraging news on us inflation — bumper profits at some of wall street's biggest banks have set the scene for a strong earnings season — as michelle fleury reports. this was the best trading session for us docs since the day after the election. the start of this year has been pretty ugly for investors. they had a big inflation and interest rate scare that wiped out most of the gains of the last two months. on wednesday, they breathed a sigh of relief. even though prices edged up in december, new data shows the core number which stretches out volatile food and energy prices rose less than expected, mark, calming fears that the us central bank may have to act more aggressively to stabilise prices. shares surged and bond yields fell. the latest earnings season also got a boost fr

and these projections, of course, have been released by the office for national statistics, the ons. being driven by net migration, actually natural population in terms of births minus deaths is actually going down slightly. well, let's talk to our political editor, christopher hope, who joins us live from westminster. christopher, these are really quite shocking figures, huge numbers. what do you think the government is going to do in response? >> well, quite the answer should be probably a cap on net migration. that's what the tories are calling for today. chris philp, the shadow home secretary, saying it can and must be stopped from materialising. these are projections, not predictions. so the projections based on current government policy rather than predictions by the ons. the thing with the tory party is they tried and failed for 14 years to control net migration. why should anyone believe them now? and it's now in labour's ballpark. but look at those numbers. 4.9 million increase from 2022 to 2032. the average level 340,000. if you look at just this this parliament 1.75 millio

that's according to new figures from the office for national statistics. by mid 2032, the uk population is expected to hit 72.5 million people, sparking concerns over pressure on concerns over pressure on resources concerns over pressure on resources and services. campaigners are also sounding the alarm over social care, with the alarm over social care, with the number of over 85 seconds set to double to 3.3 million by 2047. with the sector already struggling to meet current demand. the tories are calling for a legal cap on visas, but downing street's rejected the idea, insisting their own policies will tackle the issue more effectively. a leaked home office report has revealed a proposal to classify conspiracy theories, misogyny and the manosphere as extremism. the government, though, is pushing back, insisting there are no plans to expand the definition. home office minister dan jarvis says the leaked documents don't reflect the current from the office for national statistics. by mid 2032, the uk population is expected to hit 72.5 million people, sparkin

which are used to help showcase how high streets are performing, were released by the office for national statistics this morning. previous figures for november were seen as shaky when sales rose by just o.1%. sales still remain 2.5% below pre—pandemic levels. sir ed davey has welcomed the government's announcement for a series of local inquiries into the grooming scandal. the home secretary announced government backed local reviews in five areas yesterday, stopping short of committing to a full scale national inquiry. the liberal democrat leader said action is needed more quickly. >> if we're going to be tough, yeah, let's have the inquiry, just as you say. you're quite right about that. but i don't think we should let the government get away with not taking the action. now. we need to take the action now. and i think that's what liberal democrats would urge the government and all opposition parties, and i'm sure you would agree we do need action now. >> a rapper accused of glorifying murder in his lyrics could be in breach of parole. his killer's mother says jake farage killed schoolboy jimmy mize

which are used to help showcase how high streets are performing, were released by the office for national statisticsrning. previous figures for november were seen as shaky when sales rose by just o.1%. sales still remained 2.5% lower than pre—pandemic levels. the consumer watchdog, which has announced the very best and worst energy firms as chosen by customers in its annual survey, octopus energy , utility octopus energy, utility warehouse and 100 green, came out on top. whereas british gas and scottish power failed to impress, scoring the lowest of 16 providers as voted for by 12,000 people. and your last story for now, oscar nominated actress dame joan plowright has died aged 95. known for her golden globe award winning performances in tv biopic stalin and enchanted april, she was also nominated for an academy award. at 12:10. those are your latest headlines. i'll be back in a short while for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code or go to gbnews.com/alerts. >> good afternoon britain. it is now nine minutes past midday and police forces ha

next decade, driven almost entirely by net migration, according to new figures from the office for national statisticsthat means that by the middle of 2032, the uk population will hit 72.5 million, sparking concerns over pressure on resources and services. campaigners are also sounding the alarm over social care, with the number of over 85 set to double to 3.3 million by 2047. that's as the sector is already struggling to meet current demand. the conservatives are calling for a legal cap on visas, but downing street has rejected that idea, insisting their own policies will tackle the issue more effectively. a leaked home office report has revealed a proposal to classify conspiracy theories, misogyny and the manosphere as extremism, but the government is pushing back, insisting there are no plans to expand the definition. the home office minister, dan jarvis, says the leaked documents don't reflect current policy and were never meant to be implemented. the review, commissioned by the home secretary, yvette cooper, also suggests new laws to crack down on harmful online content. but critics warn it could

72.5 million people by 2032, driven almost entirely by net migration, according to the office for national statistics. net migration will contribute 340,000 extra people each year from 2028. that is up 315,000 than earlier estimates. the government, though, says it will present a comprehensive plan to reduce what it calls staggeringly high net migration levels, but has ruled out a fixed cap. a leaked home office report calls for police to record more non—crime hate incidents, despite previous concerns over free speech. the report dismisses claims of two tier policing as a right wing extremist narrative. the review, ordered by the home secretary, also describes grooming gangs as an alleged problem frequently exploited by the far right. well, the shadow business secretary, andrew griffith, told us the report's conclusion is disturbing. >> the home secretary needs to pubush >> the home secretary needs to publish this immediately so that we can all see for ourselves what and who it is that's saying these non—crime hate incidents, these non—crime hate incidents, these attacks and waste of police resources

that projection, released today by the office for national statistics, is driven almost entirely by neton, with a 5 million increase within ten years. earlier on, i caught up with the usual presenter of this show, nigel farage. the uk reform leader in parliament as he was going about his civic dufies he was going about his civic duties there. here's what he had to say. with me now is nigel farage, the leader of reform uk. nigel farage, 5 million more people arriving here, settling in here on a net basis between 2022 and 2032. >> well, remember that the population has increased by more than 10 million in the last 20 years, more than 10 million. and so this projection from the office of national statistics says another 5 million. and we're all supposed to just accept it, say nothing, don't complain, or we're nasty people. and what's worth remembering? there is a consensus in this building between both the labour and the conservative parties. whatever they say at general elections, whatever promises they make, they are both more than prepared to accept this. and my argument now for many, ma

that's according to new figures from the office for national statistics.means that by mid 2032, the uk population is expected to hit 72.5 million people, sparking concerns over pressure on concerns over pressure on resources concerns over pressure on resources and services. campaigners are now sounding the alarm over social care, with the number of over 85 seconds set to double to 3.3 million by 2047. and that's as the sector is already struggling to meet current demand. the conservatives are calling for a legal cap on visas, but downing street has rejected that idea, insisting their own policies will tackle the issue more effectively. sir keir starmer is facing pressure from within his own party to back compensation for women hit by state pension age changes. it follows a commons vote where mps backed a bill calling for payouts of almost £3,000 each, despite the government ruling out compensation. the snp's stephen flynn says it should be a defining issue for parliament and urged ministers to do the right thing. it comes as ten labour mps have supported t

the projection released today by the office for national statistics , is driven almost statistics, ismost entirely by net migration, with a 5 million net increase in the next ten years. now let's bring in gb news political editor chris hoban. i'm also joined in the studio by reform uk's mp for ashfield, lee anderson, and the political commentator matthew stadler. and i predict the fur is going to fly. before that, chris, let's look at the data. mind blowing data. five years ago. five years ago this friday, we voted to finally leave the european union. take back control was the mantra increasingly looking like a lie that we're all sold these figures blow it out of the water. 4.9 million net, but hidden within that 9.9 million immigrants coming in, almost 10 million coming in by 2032. nobody voted for this. nobody wants this. what on earth is going on? >> well, i think you're wrong to blame brexit. i think this is done with the connivance of the last tory governm

down from 2.6% from november, and that's from 2.6% from november, and that's from the office for national statisticss i say tadhg will be back here in about 25 minutes' time. another breaking story from ukraine. ukraine introduced emergency power cuts in six regions amid what authorities described as a "massive" russian missile strike, the national grid operator has said. there are few details at present but ukraine's air force warned of russian bomber planes in the sky around 4am local time followed by the launch of multiple "guided aerial bombs". we will continue to monitor that here at the bbc, the ongoing situation in ukraine. south korea's impeached president, yoon suk yeol has been arrested over his failed attempt to impose martial law last month. it's the first time in the country's history that a sitting president has been detained. in a pre—recorded statement before his arrest, mr yoon said he was handing himself in to avoid any bloodshed. anti—corruption investigators forced their way into the presidential compound this morning. it was their second attempt to arrest yoon after they were pr