Glossary

A UK government bond that pays back after thirty years. Its yield is the annual return an investor gets at today's price, and the rate the government pays to borrow for that long.

A UK insolvency procedure in which an independent administrator takes control of a failing company to rescue it or sell it, while creditors are held at bay.

A long-range US Air Force bomber that can carry a large load of conventional weapons.

Since 1997 the Bank has set interest rates without taking instructions from ministers, within a target for inflation set by the government.

The representative body for barristers in England and Wales, separate from the Criminal Bar Association, which speaks for those who practise criminal law.

Hundredths of a percentage point. 13 basis points is 0.13 percentage points.

The value of bids divided by the amount on offer at an auction. Above 2 usually means demand is healthy.

The US president's wooded retreat in Maryland, used for private meetings and negotiations away from the White House.

A protein found in algae that opens a channel in a cell's membrane when it is hit by light.

The Treasury minister responsible for financial services.

The UK's competition regulator, which investigates mergers that may reduce choice or raise prices.

The national network of police units that investigate terrorism in the UK, coordinating with MI5.

The body representing barristers who prosecute and defend in criminal cases in England and Wales.

The court in England and Wales that tries serious criminal cases, normally before a judge and a jury of twelve. Less serious cases go to magistrates' courts.

The Treasury agency that sells gilts to finance government borrowing.

Raising the share of uranium-235 so it can fuel reactors or, at high levels, weapons.

The price of a whole company: the value of its shares plus its debt, minus cash. It is used to compare firms with different amounts of borrowing.

The limits a Chancellor sets for borrowing and debt, which the Office for Budget Responsibility checks the Budget against.

The index of the 100 largest companies listed in London, weighted by size.

Bonds issued by the UK government. When investors sell them, prices fall and yields rise, which lifts the government's borrowing costs and influences mortgage rates.

The Iran-aligned armed movement that controls much of northern Yemen and has attacked Saudi and shipping targets.

An election result in which no party has an overall majority of seats.

A 40% tax on the value of an estate above a tax-free threshold when someone dies, with extra allowances for homes left to children.

An investigation commissioned and run by an organisation into its own conduct. It is not independent of the body it examines.

The professional body for solicitors in England and Wales.

A member of the House of Lords appointed for life, not hereditary.

A senior minister who is also the Justice Secretary in the current system, responsible for courts, prisons and the independence of the judiciary.

The lowest criminal courts in England and Wales, where volunteer magistrates or a district judge hear minor cases and decide sentences of up to a fixed limit. They do not use juries.

London's police force, known as the Met.

Multilevel regression and post-stratification: a polling method that uses a large survey to estimate results seat by seat. It projects seats, not just vote shares.

A treaty in which signatories agree to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.

A payroll tax paid by employees, employers and the self-employed that funds state benefits and the NHS. Employers' contributions are a charge on each salary.

The use of warships to stop ships from entering or leaving a country's ports.

The share of people who view a politician favourably minus the share who view them unfavourably. A negative number means more dislike than like.

Clocks that keep time by the vibration of an atomic nucleus, not of electrons, which promises greater accuracy than today's atomic clocks.

The UK's communications regulator, covering broadband, mobile, post and broadcasting.

Periods in Parkinson's disease when medication has worn off and symptoms such as stiffness and slowness return.

BT's network arm, which owns and maintains most of the UK's copper and fibre lines and rents access to rivals including TalkTalk.

A technique that makes nerve cells respond to light by giving them a gene for a light-sensitive protein, so researchers can switch them on or off with a beam.

Lying under oath in court proceedings.

An offence of acting to obstruct the justice system, for example by hiding evidence or influencing witnesses.

The hearing at which a defendant says whether he pleads guilty or not guilty.

A severe form of plague that infects the lungs and can spread between people by coughing.

An offence under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006: doing anything to prepare to commit or help others commit acts of terrorism. Arrest on this suspicion is not a charge.

Investment firms that buy companies with a mix of their own money and debt, aiming to sell for a profit after some years.

Held in prison while awaiting trial or the next hearing, after a court refuses bail.

The policy rate at which a central bank lends to banks against securities. India's equivalent of Bank Rate.

A general election called earlier than the date required by law, often because a government has lost a key vote or wants a new mandate.

A formal declaration that lets a government mobilise resources ahead of or after a disaster.

The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which a large part of the world's seaborne oil passes.

A payment a company agrees to make if a deal collapses in specified circumstances, such as accepting a better offer.

A crime against the state, such as helping an enemy. In Germany it is prosecuted by the federal prosecutor.

The UK Health Security Agency, which monitors and responds to infectious disease threats.

A tax on profits seen as unusually large, usually from an outside shock.

The movement for a Jewish national home in Palestine, which led to the state of Israel. It is understood in very different ways, which is why motions about it are contested.