LONDON, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's unemployment rate remained at 5.1 percent at the end of last year, official data showed Tuesday, as companies trimmed staff amid UK budget uncertainty. The near five-year high rate for the three months to the end of November was unchanged from the quarter ending October 31, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. A more recent picture on UK inflation arrives Wednesday with official data for December. The unemployment data "suggests that the next policy meeting in February may be too soon for another interest rate cut", noted Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics research group. But if December's CPI inflation figures turned out much weaker than the Bank expects, "it's possible the door for a February rate is pushed ajar", he said.
