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5 Things You Need To Know, Today, on Tuesday 28th February 2023
5. The government is set for a fiscal windfall of tens of billions of pounds thanks to stronger growth and lower energy prices, making the argument not to contribute to higher public sector pay, all the more difficult to maintain, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
In an analysis released ahead of the 15 March budget, the IFS said that it expected the government to borrow around £30bn less this year than it had forecast in November.
4. Women's share of board seats at Britain's 350 biggest listed companies reached 40% for the first time in 2022, a UK government-backed report showed, three years ahead of plan.
Improving boardroom diversity has become a focus for many policymakers and investors who say a broader range of experience improves decision-making and corporate culture.
3. Britain's economy, which had seemed certain to fall into recession in early 2023, has shown some unexpected signs of recovery, raising questions about whether the Bank of England really is about to pause its run of interest rate increases.
Bounces in measures of business activity and consumer confidence and a pickup in tax revenues have led some analysts to upgrade their forecasts for the economy this year, although any growth is likely to be weak.
2. Lidl is the latest supermarket to introduce limits on sales of certain fruit and vegetables due to shortages of fresh produce.
The company is putting limits of three per customer on sales of peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, due to "a recent increase in demand".
1. Rishi Sunak has travelled to Belfast as part of efforts to sell his Brexit deal and the ways he believes it will ease the flow of trade between Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The government hopes the changes delivered by the agreement will be enough to satisfy the DUP, who have been refusing to take part in power sharing at Stormont until issues with the current arrangements are resolved.