UK retail sales growth cools amid fears over budget tax rises

Inflation also hitting sales, says industry body, as Barclays says credit card spending fell in September

UK retail sales growth cooled last month as concerns over inflation and looming tax increases in Rachel Reeves’s autumn budget weighed on British consumers.

In a snapshot before the chancellor’s tax and spending event next month, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said total sales rose more slowly in September than in recent months.