Rail strikes push people to buy cars as disruption hits millions January 4, 2023 More drivers are looking to own a car as the ongoing rail strikes cause misery for millions of people, according to new data. Data published today by automotive marketplace Auto Trader shows that the percentage of people choosing to buy a car due to the unreliability of the public transport system has jumped from 36 [...]
Rishi Sunak: I’ll halve inflation and get the economy growing again January 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak has pledged to halve inflation and bring down NHS waiting lists, as he set out a fresh vision for his premiership with five promises to voters. In his first major speech of 2023, the Prime Minister promised to deliver “peace of mind” to the public, even as his Government grapples with an NHS [...]
Sainsbury’s boosts pay as part of £205m inflation package January 4, 2023 Sainsbury’s is investing £185m in pay bumps for staff as the supermarket looks to retain staff during a period of high inflation and rising cost of living. Pay will increase to £11 per hour for retail staff, with London workers paid £11.95. It represents a 10 per cent pay hike over the past year when [...]
Mortgage approvals collapse to early Covid-19 crisis levels after mini-budget chaos January 4, 2023 Mortgage approvals in the UK have skidded to their lowest level since the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, pushed down by prospective buyers retreating after Liz Truss’s botched mini-budget sent interest rates flying, official figures out today show. The number of mortgage approvals tumbled a fifth over the month to November to their lowest [...]
RMT to resume rail strikes talks with government on Monday January 4, 2023 The RMT will resume talks over ongoing rail strikes with the government this Monday, according to union boss Mick Lynch. Lynch told GB News that government officials contacted the RMT earlier this week to “get a meeting in” early next week. The announcement comes as over 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 other train [...]
Cost of living fears don’t stop Brits spending record £12bn in supermarkets in run-up to Christmas January 4, 2023 BRITS brushed off cost of living and recession fears to spend a record £12bn in UK supermarkets in the run-up to Christmas.
China’s zero-Covid policy must be a cautionary tale for the UK January 4, 2023 The rise in Covid-19 cases in China has seen the return of travel restrictions – but Paul Ormerod argues the scientific evidence suggests lockdowns aren’t worth the cost – only shifting cases, rather than eliminating them As we greet the new year with the hope of more serene times ahead, some might do it with [...]
Chung to build on recent success with Villa Fionn January 3, 2023 WITH a field consisting of some pretty ordinary middle-distance performers, and many looking past their sell-by dates, division one of the Tsun Yip Handicap (11:45am) over the extended mile at Happy Valley won’t take much winning. Newcomer Eighteen Palms will be the focus of attention, especially with Zac Purton in the saddle, after leading all [...]
English rugby attendances reach season high, but there’s more to do January 3, 2023 Attendances in rugby union’s English Premiership reached a season high across the New Year weekend, when five games saw an average crowd of 13,160. Gloucester Rugby’s low-scoring 8-6 win over London Irish sold more than 16,000 tickets, while Bath, Saracens and Northampton Saints claimed sell-outs too. Sale Sharks did not sell out at the weekend [...]
Aldi posts record December sales of £1.4bn after Christmas and World Cup surge January 3, 2023 Aldi today said it had achieved record December sales of more than £1.4bn following a surge in demand over the winter month, as the Christmas period coincided with the World Cup in Qatar. The budget supermarket said its sales increased 26 per cent during December, despite the UK’s cost-of-living crisis, due to surging demand for meats, cheeses [...]