UK inflation falling faster than expected, says Bank of England’s Bailey; Reeves to announce debt rule changes at IMF – business live

Back in the UK, maverick retail chief Mike Ashley has launched a bid to become chief executive of BooHoo.

Fraser Group, which owns around 27% of Boohoo, has presented its founder Ashley as the solution to the “leadership crisis” at the online clothing retailer.

There is a vacancy to fill – last week, Boohoo announced that CEO John Lyttle was stepping down as it launched a strategic review which could result in the company’s break-up.

Frasers also want to put restructuring expert Mike Lennon on the Boohoo board as a director, telling the City this morning:

The Board appointments proposed by Frasers are now the only way to set a new course for boohoo’s future. Frasers urges boohoo shareholders to vote in favour of its proposals.

Boohoo says it is “in the process of reviewing the content and validity” of Frasers’ request, and urges shareholders to take no action in the meantime….

A senior IMF official has told the BBC that the UK needs more investment, to catch up with G7 rivals.

Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, also warned that the world economy could contract by the size of the combined French and German economies if a ‘broad based trade war’ broke out, the BBC’s Faisal Islam reports:

Gopinath said:

If you have some very serious decoupling and broad scale use of tariffs, you could end up with a loss to world GDP of close to 7%”.

“These are very large numbers, 7% is basically losing the French and German economies.

Policymakers are worried abour the risk of trade conflicts if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election, as he has talked about introducing a 10% tariff on imports into America.

Rachel Reeves will announce at the International Monetary Fund a plan to change Britain’s debt rules that will open the door for the government to spend up to £50bn extra on infrastructure projects.

After weeks of speculation, the chancellor will confirm at the fund’s annual meetings in Washington today that next week’s budget will include a new method for assessing the UK’s debt position – a move that will permit the Treasury to borrow more for long-term capital investment.

The change to the debt rule will be welcomed by the IMF, which says spending on UK infrastructure projects should be ringfenced as the government seeks to repair the damage to the public finances caused by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

Reeves will not specify while in Washington which of the various debt measures under consideration has been chosen, but the Guardian has been told by a senior government source that she will target public sector net financial liabilities (PSNFL).

This yardstick – which will replace public sector net debt – will take into account all the government’s financial assets and liabilities, including student loans and equity stakes in private companies, as well as funded pension schemes.

This would give the chancellor room to increase borrowing for investment in long-term infrastructure.

More here:

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.

The governor of the Bank of England has declared that UK inflation is cooling more rapidly than expected, as policymakers gather in Washington DC to discuss the state of the global economy.

Andrew Bailey told an event organised by the Institute of International Finance event last night that prices were rising slower than he would have expected.

Bailey explained:

“If you’d ask me what inflation was going to be now, it would have been a bit higher than it is today.”

UK inflation hit a three-and-a-half year low of 1.7% in September, below the Bank’s 2% target.

Bailey’s comments appear to be another hint that the Bank of England could lower interest rates at its meeting next month.

This morning, the money markets predict that a November rate cut, from 5% to 4.75%, is an 89% chance.

Those odds jumped at the start of this month, after Bailey told the Guardian that the Bank could become a “bit more aggressive” in cutting interest rates if inflation continues to cool.

Bailey’s told the IIF last night that “disinflation” (an easing in the rate of inflation) was happening faster than expected, saying:

“Disinflation is happening I think faster than we expected it to, but we have still genuine question marks about whether there have been some structural changes in the economy.”

Bailey is in Washington DC for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has headed there too. Before setting off yesterday, Reeves declared she would be presenting next week’s budget as a economic ‘reset’ for the UK:

“A Britain built on the rock of economic stability is a Britain that is a strong and credible international partner.

“I’ll be in Washington to tell the world that our upcoming budget will be a reset for our economy as we invest in the foundations of future growth.

“It’s from this solid base that we will be able to best represent British interests and show leadership on the major issues like the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.”

The agenda

• 9am BST: Eurozone composite PMI surveys for October

• 9.30am BST: UK composite PMI surveys for October

• 11am BST: CBI’s industrial trends survey of UK manufacturing

• 1pm BST: IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva gives main press conference