Labour Accused of Softening Up Public for Brutal Budget

UK Chancellor John Healey is set to unveil his first budget in October, and SNP's Dave Doogan claims that Labour ministers are 'softening people up for a Westminster budget of cuts and tax rises.'

The warning comes as official figures show inflation reached a five-month high at 3.1% in August, driven by high petrol and diesel costs.

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warned that volatile global energy costs could push inflation higher still, and said that if the volatility continues, it's 'more likely' that interest rates will need to rise to bring inflation back down to 2%.

The prospect of a rates rise comes as some households face an increase in energy costs come October, when Ofgem's new price cap comes into effect.