High street bosses warn Christmas trading could be make-or-break after two Labour Budgets dampened confidence. With consumers cutting back, pubs and shops fear closures as the economy stalls and unemployment ticks up. Economists say the UK may be on the cusp of a broad downturn.

An investigation reports the Home Office’s voluntary returns scheme gives those with no right to remain cash, travel, short-term accommodation and help to start businesses in their home countries. It also offers reception and family support on arrival, prompting debate that the UK is being overly generous.

About 170 foreign nationals deemed security risks remain in Britain under strict controls because human rights rules block deportation, prompting calls to reform those laws and consider leaving the ECHR. Ministers face pressure to cut monitoring costs and strengthen removal powers.

Working households with three children would need £71,000 in pay to match the income available on benefits, a report claims. It says out-of-work families are £18,000 better off than neighbours on the living wage after the Budget scrapped the two-child cap, prompting calls for the Chancellor to resign.