Brexit, insurance, debt and help to buy

Fears that Britain will slide into a post-referendum recession have been allayed after a Guardian newspaper analysis showed the latest news on the economy has confounded analysts’ gloomy expectations, with consumer spending strong, unemployment low and the housing market holding steady. The finding comes as a leading think tank toned down its earlier dire warnings of economic turmoil for the UK and its neighbours in the event of a leave vote. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said prompt action by the Bank of England to cut interest rates had cushioned the blow from June’s Brexit vote but it still believes the UK will suffer a sharp slowdown next year amid heightened uncertainty. Meanwhile, the boss of Kier Group, one of the country’s biggest construction firms, says the London property market has ‘definitely softened’ since the Brexit vote. Haydn Mursell told the BBC that demand around the rest of the country is still good, but the capital had taken most of the impact. Housebuilders