ONLYWAY.NEWShttps://onlyway.news/en/tag/westminster/16.10.2026
UK population has almost stopped growing: net migration down by two thirds, births at a 43-year low
The ONS has published mid-2025 estimates. The UK has 69.5 million people, up 227,700 over the year — the weakest growth since 2020. Net migration collapsed from 651,700 to 222,900 and births hit their lowest level in 43 years. Here are the numbers and what follows from them.
The Autumn Budget lands on 28 October: what is already confirmed
The Budget is set for Wednesday 28 October 2026 and will be delivered by Chancellor John Healey — his first as Chancellor. Several measures are already named: £2 single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January 2027, zero VAT on electricity from 1 October, and a 20% business rates cut for pubs from April 2027. The rest is still rumour — and that is where the biggest sums sit.