Budget: Chancellor abolishes lifetime pension allowance saying ‘no one should be pushed out of the workforce for tax reasons’ March 15, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has abolished the pension lifetime allowance and increased the annual tax free pension allowance by 50 per cent to £60,000 a year. The measure was one of several unveiled in the Budget and aimed at encouraging an estimated 3.5m people of pre retirement age back into the workforce. Hunt said: “Turning 50 [...]
Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury benefits as Brits turn to books as affordable treat in cost of living crunch March 15, 2023 People turning increasingly to books as an affordable hobby in the cost-of-living crisis has helped Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury hike its full-year profit outlook. The group – which is also the publisher behind Bake Off star Paul Hollywood’s latest cookbook Bake – said it was seeing surging demand for titles in print, ebook and audio, [...]
Budget: Energy bills to drop £1,000 by July but will not fall below £2,000 by October March 15, 2023 Cornwall Insight has unveiled its price cap predictions ahead of the Budget, raising expectations of a sharp fall in energy bills.
London brought to a standstill as tube strike closes entire network and RMT lock horns with Sadiq Khan March 15, 2023 A strike by London Underground drivers has closed the entire network. Transport for London’s website shows no services are running on any Tube lines. The Docklands Light Railway and Elizabeth line are part-suspended because of the industrial action. Drivers in Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out in a dispute over [...]
Zara owner sees sales soar to £28.8bn as young shoppers shrug off cost of living crisis to splash cash on latest trends March 15, 2023 The owner of high street fashion chain Zara said young shoppers remained to spend cash on the latest trends despite rising inflation and the cost of living crisis. Inditex, which also owns popular brands such as Pull&Bear and Bershka, reported a sales growth of €32.6bn (£28.8bn) up 17.5 per cent from the same period last [...]
Spring Budget 2023 – as it happened: Childcare costs, Brexit pub guarantee and plan for ’12 Canary Wharfs’ March 15, 2023 As Jeremy Hunt unveils his first full Spring Budget, we bring you all the latest news, opinion, analysis and reaction. Budget day – Live feed Support for parents with young children: Jeremy Hunt announced a series of reforms, starting “with the supply of childcare.” “We have seen a significant decline in childminders over recent years [...]
One child in every London classroom is homeless, shock council data claims March 15, 2023 One child in every classroom in London is homeless, on average, shock new data from councils across the capital has claimed. There are 166,000 homeless people living in the capital and of these 81,000 are children, a new report from the London Councils network has claimed. On average, this means one in every 23 children [...]
The Lord Mayor Joins City Philanthropists for the Launch of City Giving Day March 15, 2023 The Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman Nicholas Lyons and Lady Mayoress were joined by a number of high-profile guests and speakers at Mansion House this week, for the launch of City Giving Day. Now in its 10th year, City Giving Day is an annual event hosted by The Lord Mayor’s Appeal uniting [...]
‘Budget for growth’: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt rolls pitch for Spring statement March 14, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said his spring statement will be a “budget for growth” as he prepares to set out key measures to support firms and families with the cost of living crisis. Hunt will make his annual budget statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday. He is expected to focus on efforts to [...]
NatWest imposes £1,000 daily limit on Crypto spending to protect people against ‘losing life changing sums’ March 14, 2023 NatWest imposed stricter restrictions on cryptocurrency transfers as it seeks to protect its customers after £329m was lost by UK consumers last year. The bank is implementing a daily limit of £1,000 and a 30-day payment limit of £5,000 to cryptocurrency exchanges. It is implementing the rules to “help protect customers losing life changing sums [...]