Unemployment will rise in all but three UK regions over the next five years, research by economic consultancy the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has suggested.

The North West, the West Midlands and the East of England will be the only regions to avoid a rise in unemployment, with Northern Ireland, Scotland Wales and the North East due to see the highest rate of increase.

The report suggests the threat of independence as holding back businesses in Scotland, while Northern Ireland will be hit by the weakness of the Republic of Ireland’s economy