5 important things happening in the UK today (30 April 2026)
Here are five important things happening in the UK on Thursday (30 April 2026):
Interest rates are expected to be held
Interest rates are expected to be held at 3.75% by the Bank of England, with uncertainty dominating the UK and global economies. Analysts are widely predicting the benchmark rate will be left unchanged owing to strong signals from the Bank that it will take time to assess the impact of conflict in the Middle East on the economy and the cost of living. The base rate is the Bank’s primary tool in controlling inflation, which charts the annual rise in prices of goods and services. The rate of inflation remains above the 2% target, at 3.3%, but a cautious approach by the rate-setting committee at the Bank of England is expected. [BBC]
3 million UK households skipping meals due to rising costs
Three million UK households are being forced to skip meals as consumers resort to drastic measures to deal with rising costs, according to a Which? report published on Thursday. The conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and raw material prices has led to businesses preparing to raise prices, putting more pressure on household finances and hitting consumer confidence. [Guardian]
UK’s diplomats left in disarray by Mandelson scandal
There have been further listings of confidential health records of UK volunteers on the Chinese website Alibaba since the breach reported last week, and the government is braced for further leaks, the science minister has said. Addressing a House of Lords debate on the attempted sale of data belonging to 500,000 UK Biobank volunteers, Patrick Vallance said the government had worked with Chinese officials to remove additional postings on the online marketplace.
Farage referred to watchdog over £5 million crypto ‘gift’
Nigel Farage has been referred to the Parliamentary standards watchdog after he admitted he received a £5 million donation from a Thai-based billionaire to bolster his security. The Reform UK leader said he received a seven-figure donation from Christopher Harborne, a British national living in Thailand who helped bankroll Brexit, back in 2024. Farage has been criticised for failing to declare the latest donation, which was given weeks before he declared he would run in the general election. The Conservatives have now referred him to the Parliamentary standards watchdog over the gift, which they say should have been reported to the Commons previously. [The Independent]
UK gets first venture capital fund for pensions
Autonomous vehicle unicorn Wayve and deeptech darling Elevenlabs are among the fast-growing unicorns that have been backed by the cash raised in a historic funding round by the UK’s first venture capital vehicle set up to cater for pensions. Schroders Capital announced on Wednesday it had injected over £100m into British-based tech and life sciences scale-ups on behalf of its UK Innovation Long-term Asset Fund (LTAF), the maiden structure of its kind that gives pension funds access to early- and growth-stage companies. [CityAM]
Financial news
Oil prices rocketed past the $120 mark on Wednesday after reports that the US is preparing for an extended blockade of Iran. On Wednesday, Oil was trading higher at $121.10 The pound is trading at $1.35, €1.15, and ¥9.21.
