(Bloomberg) --

Hello from London, where a £7 million house can be considered a fixer-upper.

At least buyers caught a break from the Bank of England this week, even if its hawkish hold on rates means recession warnings are flashing. Easing inflation did put Rishi Sunak closer to achieving one of his five pledges on the economy and public services.

Almost a year into his premiership, Sunak is embracing sensible populism, Alex Wickham reports. The prime minister’s new strategy — and shift to election mode — got its first formal airing this week with a plan to water down the government’s green agenda, though the announcement was thrown into chaos after a leak to the BBC.

With the cost-of-living crisis heading into another winter, lawmakers are calling for greater support on energy bills. Some MPs want to extend the Warm Home Discount after deaths caused by cold, damp housing increased by 50% last year.

That’s sure to be a topic for the party conference season, probably the last set before the general election. There’s a feeling of change in the air, Adrian Wooldridge writes, with the Conservative Party no longer dominating the agenda — or the polls.

Finally, in the biggest clash yet at the Rugby World Cup, No. 1 Ireland takes on defending champion South Africa in Paris.

Here’s more weekend reading:

• A landslide that blocked an Alpine tunnel is still disrupting European traffic.
• The podcasting boom is now in an acrimonious slump.
• Is this the end for Japan’s iconic Studio Ghibli?