Petrol and diesel costs rise the most in four years
7m agoUK borrowing hits £24.5bn in September as John Healey prepares for budget
13m agoGreen party leader calls Jackdaw approval 'climate vandalism'
20m agoUK chancellor: Energy wealth fund to 'spark new wave of clean power'
35m agoIntroduction: UK inflation jumps to 3.5% on rising motor fuels cost; UK approves Jackdaw gas field
The Treasury ran a higher than expected budget deficit of £24.5bn last month as rising inflation pushed up the interest paid on government debt, increasing pressure on John Healey before his first budget next Wednesday.
Official figures out this morning show the government paid £10.9bn in debt interest: the highest September figure since records began, and only the eighth time the monthly number has been above £10bn.
Some government bonds are directly linked to the retail prices index measure of inflation, with payments rising in line with it. RPI has increased in recent months as the Iran war has pushed up energy costs. The Office for National Statistics said this had added £4bn to debt interest costs in September alone.
Total government debt is estimated to have hit £3tn for the first time – although as a share of the size of the economy it has fallen to 94%, from 95% a year ago.
The £24.5bn monthly deficit on the public finances was up from £17bn in August, and £1.9bn higher than the independent Office for Budget Responsibility had forecast.
In the financial year so far, public sector net borrowing is £97.8bn, the ONS said – £4.4bn lower than last year but still £6bn higher than the OBR expected.
The data underlines the impact of the Iran war on the public finances, before next Wednesday’s budget.
Healey has been keen to stress his determination to stay within the fiscal rules set out by his predecessor as chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
However, he is widely expected to accept a slimmer financial buffer, or “headroom”, against those rules than the £24bn Reeves had built up at the time of her spring forecast.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski described the Jackdaw gasfield approval as “climate vandalism” and a “victory for Shell over the people”.
Today’s decision by Labour is a betrayal of all of our futures, Labour has abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change. The energy secretary has herself said it will make no difference to energy bills; the health secretary has admitted the summer heatwave added to pressure on the NHS, and the industry’s own assessment is that it will create only 27 jobs.
Today’s decision by Labour is a betrayal of all of our futures, Labour has abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change.
The energy secretary has herself said it will make no difference to energy bills; the health secretary has admitted the summer heatwave added to pressure on the NHS, and the industry’s own assessment is that it will create only 27 jobs.
The chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, focused on the new energy wealth fund – which looks similar to Norway’s fund but is too little, too late, according to critics – in his remarks.
I want Britain’s energy wealth to spark a new wave of clean power to work for the British people. Since North Sea gas and oil were discovered decades ago, the benefit of our existing nation’s natural resources have not been turned into the long-term investment our country needs. Through our new Energy Wealth Fund, we will invest in the clean energy industries of the future, creating jobs, driving growth and strengthening Britain’s energy security.
I want Britain’s energy wealth to spark a new wave of clean power to work for the British people.
Since North Sea gas and oil were discovered decades ago, the benefit of our existing nation’s natural resources have not been turned into the long-term investment our country needs.
Through our new Energy Wealth Fund, we will invest in the clean energy industries of the future, creating jobs, driving growth and strengthening Britain’s energy security.
The pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade welcomed the decision.
Sam Richards, its chief executive, said:
Britain is going to need gas for decades to come, as even the climate change committee recognises. The choice is not between gas and no gas, but between gas produced in British waters and gas shipped in from abroad at higher cost and with higher emissions. But while we should use what we have, the north sea is a declining basin, and we need to transition to homegrown clean power. Britain’s always-on electricity should come from new clean nuclear, both gigawatt-scale reactors and small modular reactors that can be sited in far more places than their bigger cousins. Right now Britain is the most expensive place in the world to build new nuclear. Ministers should urgently implement the Fingleton Review in full in order to drive down cost. The government should also commit to a new small modular reactor at Dungeness without delay.
Britain is going to need gas for decades to come, as even the climate change committee recognises. The choice is not between gas and no gas, but between gas produced in British waters and gas shipped in from abroad at higher cost and with higher emissions.
But while we should use what we have, the north sea is a declining basin, and we need to transition to homegrown clean power. Britain’s always-on electricity should come from new clean nuclear, both gigawatt-scale reactors and small modular reactors that can be sited in far more places than their bigger cousins.
Right now Britain is the most expensive place in the world to build new nuclear. Ministers should urgently implement the Fingleton Review in full in order to drive down cost. The government should also commit to a new small modular reactor at Dungeness without delay.
The environmental law charity ClientEarth is dismayed by the UK’s decision to approve the controversial Jackdaw North Sea gasfield. It said it has twice been successful in legal action against the UK government’s climate plan in recent years.
Kyle Lischak, the charity’s head of UK, said Today’s decision from the government is very worrying. The courts had recognised allowing new large-scale oil and gas projects to proceed could risk locking in emissions that will worsen the climate crisis. The severe impacts of these projects do not disappear and only increase over time. And if approval is extended to the oil-heavy Rosebank basin, it detonates an even-greater carbon bomb that worsens extreme weather, drives future costs of climate damage, and threatens our farmland and food security. Further oil and gas from the North Sea will not lower Brits’ ballooning energy bills and will be traded internationally rather than being ring-fenced for domestic use. Instead, the companies drilling our oil and gas field will soon leave the empty oilfields with record profits, whilst we pay the price of extreme weather for decades to come.
Kyle Lischak, the charity’s head of UK, said Today’s decision from the government is very worrying. The courts had recognised allowing new large-scale oil and gas projects to proceed could risk locking in emissions that will worsen the climate crisis. The severe impacts of these projects do not disappear and only increase over time. And if approval is extended to the oil-heavy Rosebank basin, it detonates an even-greater carbon bomb that worsens extreme weather, drives future costs of climate damage, and threatens our farmland and food security.
Further oil and gas from the North Sea will not lower Brits’ ballooning energy bills and will be traded internationally rather than being ring-fenced for domestic use. Instead, the companies drilling our oil and gas field will soon leave the empty oilfields with record profits, whilst we pay the price of extreme weather for decades to come.
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.
UK inflation has accelerated more than expected to 3.5% as the cost of motor fuels surged at the fastest rate in four years, with diesel topping £2 a litre this month.
The Office for National Statistics said annual inflation, measured by the consumer prices index (CPI), rose from 3.1% in August. Economists had forecast a rise in the consumer prices index to 3.4%.
The ONS said the biggest factor pushing up inflation was transport, in particular motor fuels; while restaurants and hotels made the largest, partially offsetting, downward contribution.
The motor fuel inflation rate was the highest since August 2022.
Core CPI (excluding volatile energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco costs) rose by 2.8% in the 12 months to September, up from 2.6% in August.
Oil and gas prices have soared since the end of February when the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. The practical closure of the strait of Hormuz to most fossil fuel traffic since then has sent the price of Brent crude well north of $100 a barrel.
Petrol prices have climbed above £1.70, while the cost of a litre of diesel has also risen, hitting a record high of more than £2 a litre this month.
Bank of England officials are widely forecast to raise interest rates when they meet next month, with concerns that inflation will jump above 4% next year – more than double the central bank’s 2% target rate.
The UK government has approved the controversial Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will nonetheless dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, said the project will start supplying gas to homes and businesses from the end of this month.
At the same time, she said a new energy wealth fund will be set up by the government with a £2bn downpayment to reinvest oil and gas revenues into the climate transition, away from fossil fuels.
Following careful consideration of all relevant factors I have agreed that the regulator can grant consent for gas to be produced at Jackdaw, which will begin to supply the UK with gas from this winter thanks to the highly skilled and vital North Sea workers. This decision will support the country’s energy security with homegrown gas this winter and help minimise the UK’s use of imported higher emission fuels as we continue our transition to renewables and nuclear. The decision is compatible with our legally binding climate commitments, and we remain resolute in ending new licences for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050.
Following careful consideration of all relevant factors I have agreed that the regulator can grant consent for gas to be produced at Jackdaw, which will begin to supply the UK with gas from this winter thanks to the highly skilled and vital North Sea workers.
This decision will support the country’s energy security with homegrown gas this winter and help minimise the UK’s use of imported higher emission fuels as we continue our transition to renewables and nuclear.
The decision is compatible with our legally binding climate commitments, and we remain resolute in ending new licences for oil and gas and achieving net zero by 2050.
While Labour’s 2024 election manifesto committed to a ban on new drilling licences in the North Sea, the companies behind Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project, which is being decided on separately, have sought environmental approval for existing licences.
The companies resubmitted their applications for environmental approval earlier this year. The decision on Jackdaw had been expected last month but was delayed, seemingly to take it beyond the Holborn and St Pancras byelection on 8 October, where Labour was defending a seat against a Green challenge and ultimately won.
Andy Burnham, the prime minister, said the decision will “protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter”.
At a time when people are really struggling, it’s right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help. We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050. But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come. That’s why we’re taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea. We’re also establishing a new Energy Wealth Fund to invest in renewable energy, support the green transition and help reduce energy bills over the long-term. Our approach will ensure we can boost our energy security, back British workers, ringfence future North Sea proceeds to speed up the green transition, hit our ambitious climate targets and - crucially - bring down bills.
At a time when people are really struggling, it’s right that we look in a responsible way at maximising the existing energy reserves we have in Britain that could help.
We’re committed to moving towards renewable energy and reaching net zero by 2050. But even on our ambitious climate path, we’ll still require oil and gas as part of our energy needs for decades to come. That’s why we’re taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea. We’re also establishing a new Energy Wealth Fund to invest in renewable energy, support the green transition and help reduce energy bills over the long-term. Our approach will ensure we can boost our energy security, back British workers, ringfence future North Sea proceeds to speed up the green transition, hit our ambitious climate targets and - crucially - bring down bills.
2pm BST: Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey speech
5pm BST: European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde speech
