UK · 12 May 2026

UK households spent less, fastest drop in 18 months.

British households are cutting back on purchases, marking the quickest reduction in a year and a half. Barclays, which processes many UK card transactions, reported a 0.1% fall in card spending last month compared to a year ago. The decrease was the first year-on-year since November 2024, and non-essential spending dropped by 0.3%.

By BriefTea Editorial · 12 May 2026 at 4:20

Reported by Guardian · How we write briefs

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