let s start here in the uk where the new chancellor has been holding crunch talks with the prime minister on sunday to thrash out plans on tax and spending. jeremy hunt says his focus is on growth underpinned by stability. the value of the pound has gone up against the dollar in early trading today in asia. we will look at the market numbers in a moment because the new chancellor has the tough task of restoring economic credibility in the financial markets. our international trade correspondent dharshini david explains some of the tough challenges he faces. as international trading resumed for the first time after the chancellor wrapped up an economic strategy launched just one month ago, but his version, will it reassure other financial markets? let s look at those challenges, because this is the cost of new government borrowing, as dictated by the bond markets, which also impact mortgage rates. that rate remained high on friday then it was prior to september s mini budget.
the prime minister and scotland s first minister meet for the first time in inverness. one of the things they discussed was a law passed in scotland last month to make it easier to change gender. what i m concerned about is the impact of the bill across the united kingdom, and as is entirely standard, the uk government would take advice on that. millions more people in england will be prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs to cut their risk of heart attacks and strokes. good morning and welcome to bbc news. the latest gdp figures show the uk economy unexpectedly grew in november, helped by a boost from the world cup. the uk s gross domestic product rose by 0.1%. gdp is a key measure of all the activity of companies, governments and individuals in an economy. it also helps government decide how much it can spend on public services and how much it needs to raise in taxes. the services sector was the biggest driver of growth in november as people went out to watch world cup games
hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we start here in the uk where the bank of england is poised for the biggest rise in the cost of borrowing for 27 years to rein in the soaring cost of living. economists expect the central bank to raise its main interest rate by half a percentage point something it hasn t done in one go since 1995. that would take it to 1.75% the most expensive borrowing costs the uk has seen for almost a decade and a half with further steep rises expected. it comes as a leading think tank has warned inflation could hit 15% before it starts to ease next year. george buckley is chief uk & euro area economist at the investment bank nomura. i assume you are with the majority and you think is half a percent rise today is a given? i a percent rise today is a civen? ~ , a percent rise today is a civen? ~ , ., a percent rise today is a . iven? ~ , ., ., given? i think it is going to happen. given? i think it is going to happen.
we start today with the problem staring at us every time we go to the shops and look at our bank balance: the cost of living crisis. today we ll get the latest estimate of inflation here in the uk for the month of may. we ll go back to april to set the scene: inflation that month was running at 9%, the highest rate here in the uk for a0 years. looking into the future, the bank of england has warned inflation might exceed 11% later this year as the prices of fuel and food put pressure on household budgets. the response by the bank of england has been to raise the cost of borrowing. rates have recently been increased from 1% to 1.25%, the fifth consecutive rise, pushing them to the highest level in 13 years. our business correspondent, emma simpson, has been speaking to the chairman of the supermarket chain asda, lord stuart rose he told her that his customers have been cutting back on their shopping. if you haven t got the money, i cannot eat. iii if you haven t got the mon