Consumers started their Christmas shopping early, Kantar says; UK jobless rate rises to 4.3% while wage growth excluding bonuses is at a two-year lowThe UK can strike a US trade deal with Donald Trump while also rebuilding EU relations after Brexit to cement its status as a “beacon of stability” in an increasingly volatile world, a leading economist has said.Andy Haldane, the former Bank of England chief economist, said Keir Starmer’s government could show the UK was “open for business at a time when so much else of the world is looking inward – whether to the EU, or the US, it could really pay dividends”.Of course we should pursue energetically an improved deal with the EU, although that won’t be straightforward. The new government committed to that and should keep on committing to that.That should not, though, preclude – and does not preclude, as difficult as it will be – seeking out a free trade arrangement with the US under a new Trump presidency. Continue reading...