Consumer confidence slipped in March as Britons grew more worried about the economic outlook and the state of their finances, a survey showed today.

House prices rose 0.7% in March, largely reversing the previous month's fall, the Nationwide Building Society said today, in a sign the housing market recovery is not completely dead yet

A surge in demand for household electrical goods helped British retail sales bounce back in February after the worst January on record

Britain's economic situation is likely to feel sub-par despite the strong rebound in growth forecast by the Bank of England, Governor Mervyn King said yesterday.

The unemployment benefit queue shrank in February by the biggest amount since 1997, official data showed yesterday, surprising markets and giving the Labour government a pre-election boost

An acceptance by all Britain's main political parties of the need to repair the public finances means the country's triple-A rating is safe for now

Gordon Brown is expected to announce March 24^th as the day for the pre-election Budget as the campaign accelerates towards a May 6^th showdown.

Santander has moved into pole position to take over the 320 branches in England being sold by Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Bank of England held fire on both interest rates and quantitative easing yesterday as it paused to assess the impact of the massive stimulus it has already injected into the economy

Consumer confidence hit its highest in two years in February and people were their most optimistic about the coming six months since records began, a survey showed yesterday.