Government under pressure on economy as British households anticipate worsening finances

Analysts have said the Bank of England will have limited capacity to cut interest rates amid early signs that inflation threatens to creep up again. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The government is under growing pressure to get momentum back into the economy amid warnings that businesses plan to cut jobs and raise prices, while millions of families believe their finances will worsen this year.

Before a major speech this week by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, designed to restate Labour’s commitment to improving the economy, the CBI said private sector firms were urgently assessing their budgets to offset measures announced in last October’s budget.