Here’s your UK news roundup for Monday (20 April 2026):
UK to ‘flirt’ with recession
Spiralling energy costs amid the Middle East oil shock and the associated disruption to supply chains will push the UK to the brink of a technical recession in the middle of this year, according to new forecasts.
The UK is expected to “flirt” with recession, with no growth in the second or third quarters, leading GDP growth to slow to 0.7 per cent in 2026, down from 1.4 per cent last year, the Item Club has forecast. Growth is expected to be at a “still-below-par” 0.9 per cent next year. [The Times]
Miliband to double down on net zero with measures to combat Iran energy shock
Ed Miliband will double down on Labour’s commitment to net zero in the face of the Middle East conflict this week, insisting that as fossil fuel prices soar “the era of clean energy security must come of age”. The energy secretary is set to announce a package of new policies in a speech on Tuesday in response to an expected energy crisis prompted by Donald Trump’s war with Iran. These will include speeding up the warm homes plan to encourage the rapid take-up of solar panels and electric vehicles; expanding the use of solar on public land; and delinking gas and electricity prices, to cut consumers’ bills. [Guardian]
Three-quarters of UK landlords and sole traders miss the digital tax launch
Only a quarter of sole traders and landlord who need to sign up for the UK’s new digital tax system have done so, despite the scheme already having come into effect this month. From 6 April, anyone who earned more than £50,000 in the 2024/25 tax year from property or self-employment income was required to use authorised software to keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates on their income and expenses. This is done as part of the department’s Making Tax Digital for Income Tax scheme. But eight days after the deadline, three quarters had not signed up, with only 218,000 out of the required 864,000 doing so, according to figures provided to the FT by HMRC. [CityAM]
New university free speech complaints system to come into force this year
A new freedom of speech complaints system for England’s universities will come into force for the next academic year, the government has said. The new system will allow academics and other university staff to take their complaints directly to the Office for Students (OfS). Then from April 2027, universities could face fines of £500,000 or 2% of their income if they are found to have failed to protect free speech. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said “freedom of speech is the foundation of every university’s success” but there had been too many cases contributing to “an unacceptable culture of fear and stifling the pursuit of knowledge”. [BBC]
Financial news
On Monday, Oil was trading higher at $95.23. The pound is trading at $1.35, €1.15, and ¥9.20.
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