Ryanair and Wizz Air the worst offenders as airlines face ‘drip selling’ allegations August 21, 2023 European airlines have come under fire for ‘drip-selling’ after a report revealed 97 per cent of carriers on the continent are charging at least one “hidden fee” for their services amid already-rising air fares. Drip selling refers to companies hiding the true cost of products and services, by proclaiming one price initially but then charging [...]
UK firms asked to disclose China investments as Sunak mulls trade curbs August 21, 2023 A host of British firms have been asked by the government to hand over information on their investments in China, as the UK looks to take stock of its business ties to the state amid increasing geopolitical tensions. The government confirmed today that a survey was sent to a number of UK firms last month [...]
Just eight per cent of voters credit Sunak with falling inflation, poll finds August 21, 2023 Just eight per cent of voters believe the government can be given credit for the recent fall in inflation, polling by YouGov has revealed. Inflation dropped to 6.8 per cent last month, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed showed his plan was working. Sunak made five key pledges to the public in January, including vowing [...]
Holiday firms go to war with airlines over summer flight cancellations August 21, 2023 An alliance of consumer advocates and travel firms has called on the prime minister to stand up for holidaymakers after thousands of cancelled flights this summer. In a joint letter with Which?, companies including loveholidays, On The Beach and Thomas Cook, have urged Rishi Sunak to allow airlines to be fined if they fail in [...]
The Tories won’t redesign the NHS but they could get rid of the bottlenecks August 21, 2023 We have long since past the point where we will fundamentally change a free-at-point-of-care system, but the Conservatives can deal with the bottlenecks, writes Eliot Wilson.
Sunak pledges extra £100m to buy semiconductors as global AI race heats up August 20, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is dedicating a further £100m of public funds to procure more semiconductors to help Britain in the global AI race. Through ongoing negotiations with tech giants Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, the government is looking to ramp up their chip supply and establish a national “AI Research Resource”, after a recent report [...]
Rishi Sunak says we’ll feel better off next year – but is the PM right? August 18, 2023 Rishi Sunak has pledged Brits will all feel better off next year, as he said he “passionately believes” he can bring down inflation and ease the cost of living crisis. Speaking to the Times, the prime minister vowed to be disciplined on public spending and tax rates in a bid to revive the UK’s economic [...]
The Conservatives can’t keep protecting the pensions triple lock at all costs August 18, 2023 For years, the Conservatives have refused to budge on the pensions triple lock, even as the cost of it threatens to blow out to £147bn, writes Adam Hawksbee.
Economics now one of UK’s top ten most popular A-levels August 17, 2023 Economics is now one of the UK’s top ten most popular A-levels, after students flocked to study the subject amid a period of instability for the UK. More than 39,000 students received results for the qualification this summer, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications, a 7.3 per cent increase on last year. It marks [...]
Explainer: Committing to the pension triple lock once again August 17, 2023 Every six months or so, the political world plunges into a debate about the pension triple lock. This summer is no exception, with Rishi Sunak promising to stick to it this week. The triple lock regulates pensions, redefining the amount pensioners will get every April by whatever is highest between pay growth, inflation or 2.5 [...]