Higher UK inflation likely to hurt consumer spending - BoE's Haldane

Higher inflation is likely to hurt British consumer spending this year although such an outcome is not inevitable, Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane said on Thursday. Haldane said the effects the sterling's slump since voters decided in June to leave the European Union was starting to trickle through in to higher shop prices. "That will in turn produce something of a squeeze on the spending power of consumers and may lead them to throttle back somewhat in their spending plans," Haldan