5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Tuesday (14 October 2025).

UK unemployment hits four-year high: Unemployment has risen to a four-year high, official figures show, as Britain’s economy weakened ahead of expected tax rises in the Budget next month. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.8pcpc in the three months to August, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which was the highest since March to May 2021. Meanwhile, wages excluding bonuses grew at their slowest pace in three years at 4.7%. [Telegraph]

Revolut’s UK banking licence held up: London-based digital finance firm Revolut’s UK banking licence is being held up by British regulators’ concerns over whether its risk controls can keep pace with the rapid growth of its overseas operations, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The firm received a UK banking licence with some restrictions in 2024, which was a step forward in Revolut’s journey towards eventually listing on the stock market. [Financial Times]

UK towns may have to be abandoned due to floods: Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found. New analysis from the insurance industry, seen by the Guardian, reveals the extent of concern in the sector, with bosses warning that large swathes of housing and commercial property in densely populated areas will be at greater risk. [Guardian]

Vodafone hit by major outage: Thousands of Vodafone customers across the UK have reported its services are down. Downdetector, which monitors web outages, showed more than 130,000 people had flagged problems affecting their Vodafone broadband or mobile network on Monday afternoon. According to its website, the firm has more than 18 million customers in the UK, including nearly 700,000 home broadband customers. In an updated statement on Monday evening, Vodafone apologised to customers and said its network was “recovering”. [BBC]