[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Two bits of good news for the government in figures for January 2026 which exceeded predictions.

• January saw the biggest budget surplus since records began in 1993. The government received £30.4bn more money than it spent.
• Retail sales saw a far better than expected January, increasing by 1.8% . It was the largest increase since May 2024.This data gave "further evidence that economic growth picked up smartly in the New Year as budget uncertainty fades", Pantheon's chief UK economist Rob Wood said.

https://news.sky.com/story/record-br...rises-13509835

As mentioned already, self-assessment receipts. It’s only good news if they are higher than last year.

On retail sales - was that number for the Chrimbo period?

There’s nothing good news for the government. Their policies are causing joblessness.