Economic Review May 2026

May’s Economic Review – inflation eases despite Middle East conflict, surprise UK growth, Labour market slowing, historic Gulf trade deal.

Key takeaways

  • The annual rate of UK inflation fell more sharply than expected, down to 2.8% in the year to April
  • Britain’s economy grew by 0.3% in March, defying expectations of a slight contraction linked to global conflict
  • According to ONS, the unemployment rate increased slightly to 5.0% in the three months to March