UK Consumer Confidence Low After 2025 Spending Decline

UK consumer card spending declined marginally by 0.2 percent in 2025 as shop price inflation edged up to 0.7 percent in December.Helen Dickinson noted that while essential spending fell, categories like beauty and travel remained resilient despite only 24 percent of adults feeling confident in the national economy.Retailers warn that while falling energy prices offer some relief, increased public policy costs and regulations are likely to keep inflation sticky throughout 2026.