Tax the childless? We need to build a country economically fit for families July 6, 2022 Last weekend, something unusual occurred – a demographics expert went viral. Not usually the purview of front-page news, a piece by Dr Paul Morland, of Oxford University, on how Britain could improve its falling fertility rate provoked accusations of Nazism and of treating women as incubators. Certainly, some of Morland’s suggestions were stupid, some even [...]
Consumer confidence plunges to Covid lockdown lows as households’ financial worries spiral July 6, 2022 Consumer confidence in the economy has plunged to its lowest point since the start of the pandemic as Sainsbury’s top boss warned the worst was yet to come. According to Which? research published today, only eight per cent of consumers felt the UK economy would improve over the next 12 months. However, nearly eight in [...]
UK’s cost of living crisis has created ‘perfect conditions for fraud to flourish,’ new report says July 6, 2022 The UK’s cost of living crisis is creating the “ideal environment for fraudulent activity,” a new report from the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CIIA) has warned. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and the UK’s cost-of-living crunch are creating the “perfect conditions for fraud to flourish,” the report says, as it calls on businesses to [...]
A recession will tempt firms into short-term cuts and sacrifice of future growth July 6, 2022 Throughout the history of recessions and periods of high inflation, when businesses have felt compelled to cut back to protect their margins, they’ve often looked at marketing spend with a raised eyebrow. It’s usually one of the biggest line items and certainly one of the easiest to cut. It’s a deep shame, therefore, it has [...]
Petrol June surge smashes previous records July 6, 2022 The average cost of a litre of petrol has jumped 16.6p in June, smashing previous records, according to data released today. Figures from the RAC Fuel Watch revealed that petrol costs surged from 174.8p to 191.4p, meaning that the cost of filling up a family car has increased by £9 in 30 days to £105.29. [...]
Oil prices nosedive as recession fears rise across developed economies July 5, 2022 Oil prices have plummeted a whopping $10 across both benchmarks, as recession fears curtailed demand and drove down prices.
Lurpak row: ASDA says £6 butter with security tag is not UK-wide policy or related to cost of living crisis July 5, 2022 ASDA has said it does not have a UK-wide policy to put security tags on butter in relation to the cost of living crisis. The supermarket giant responded after a journalist shared an image on social media, showing a pack of Lurpak in one of its stores, costing £6, with a tag on. This comes [...]
Back to school: M&S freezes school uniform prices as retailer battles to entice cash strapped shoppers July 5, 2022 M&S has frozen its prices on school uniform this summer as households face tightening budgets amid historic rates of inflation. The premium retailer also said it was introducing a 20 per cent off deal for back to school shoppers this month. The retailer – which was set to hold its annual general meeting for shareholders [...]
Bird & Bird hands staff £1,000 each to deal with UK’s cost-of-living crunch July 5, 2022 London law firm Bird & Bird is set to pay £1,000 bonuses to more than 300 of its staff to help them deal with the cost-of-living crisis. The law firm said it will give £1,000 “cost of living allowance” payments to all employees who earn less £50,000 per annum this month, to help them manage [...]
First national rail strike since 1995 looms as union ballots members at 10 different train firms July 5, 2022 The country will be brought to an unprecedented standstill if train drivers vote for their first national strike since 1995. Aslef union members are to be balloted over industrial action at 10 different train firms across the country. It was also reported there was similar action proposed by the TSSA union, which represents station and [...]