5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Thursday (27 November 2025):

• UK net migration predicted to drop to pre-Brexit levels: Net migration figures due on Thursday are predicted to drop to pre-Brexit levels of about 300,000, according to a thinktank. British Future, which calculated the drop in overall migration, also found that most Britons remain unaware of the falling numbers, and expect the figures to rise or stay the same. Last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said its updated estimates, which include a more accurate count of emigration by British nationals, showed a higher and earlier peak in net migration of 944,000 in the year to March 2023. It had previously been estimated that net migration peaked at 906,000 in the year to 30 June 2023. [Guardian]
• Budget shows UK finances are not as bad as expected: Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out details of her second Budget since becoming chancellor. Several measures from the yearly tax and spending plan had already been announced in the days leading up to the statement. Other measures were revealed by accident after the UK’s budgetary watchdog mistakenly published its official forecast early. [BBC]
• Electric vehicle sales to collapse under pay-per-mile tax: Electric car sales will face a huge hit from the Government’s pay-per-mile tax, according to official forecasts. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said that 440,000 fewer electric vehicles (EVs) would be sold as a result of the policy change, prompting retailers to accuse the Government of “driving with the handbrake on”. The drop will eclipse an expected sales boost from a string of other measures, such as tax breaks and subsidies for EV owners. [Telegraph]
• Investors pile into UK bonds and sterling after budget: Investors piled into long-dated UK bonds on Wednesday, pushing yields down by the most since April, and boosted the pound after UK finance minister Rachel Reeves’ budget helped alleviate some concern about Britain’s long-term finances. Reeves delivered a budget that will take more tax from workers, people saving for a pension and from investors to give herself more room for meeting her borrowing targets – a central concern for investors. [Reuters]

• On Thursday, Oil was trading flat at $61.64. The pound is trading at $1.32, €1.14, and ¥9.37.

Now read: Rachel Reeves’s Budget 2025 speech in full