MPs and peers urge Boris Johnson to scrap taxes on energy bills to reduce cost of living crisis January 2, 2022 Twenty Tory MPs and peers have called for the Prime Minister to scrap VAT and environmental levies on energy bills to ease the cost of living crisis.
Poverty looms for millions of UK families as energy bills climb by £1200, inflation rises and taxes jump 1.25 per cent in 2022 December 29, 2021 Soaring energy bills, inflation and rising taxes are likely to lead to a ‘cost of living catastrophe’ for millions of UK families, an economic think tank warned this morning. The Resolution Foundation (RF) said from next April families would typically face a £1,200-a-year hit to their incomes as the energy price cap is raised and [...]
Energy crisis: Govt and energy firms agree runaway gas and electricity bills should be avoided in 2022 but they fail to say how December 28, 2021 The government and UK’s largest energy companies agreed late last night that “UK customers have to be protected” from soaring gas and electricity prices in 2022, although it was not clear how they plan to do that. The meeting with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng came after Labour and a boss of a major energy provider [...]
Think-tank: Further restrictions will put more people into poverty December 26, 2021 A think-tank boss has warned that further restrictions would put hundreds of thousands of people at risk of long-term poverty. Dame Philippa Stroud, a former highly-respected Tory adviser and now chief of the Legatum Institute, wrote today in the Sunday Telegraph that some 900,000 people slipped into poverty during previous lockdowns and that that number [...]
UK government launches £1bn Omicron rescue package for pubs, bars and restaurants December 21, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has launched a fresh £1bn rescue package to help sectors worst hit by the Omicron-induced economic storm survive. Pubs, bars and restaurants across England can now receive a one-off no strings attached payment of £6,000 per venue, the UK government announced today. Sunak said: “We recognise that the spread of the Omicron [...]
Two thirds businesses call for higher sick pay rate amid growing Omicron fears December 14, 2021 Nearly two thirds of employers have called for a rise in statutory sick pay (SSP) in the UK, according to a new report. The professional body for human resources behind the report, urged for major reforms to statuary sick pay after finding that 62 per cent of employers in the country think the rate, currently [...]
Fracking companies threaten government with legal action over ban December 12, 2021 Fracking companies have threatened to take legal action over the government’s ban on the practice, amid the sector’s growing frustration at being left behind the UK energy revolution, according to reports. The sector sent “pre-action correspondence” to the government after fears prompted by earthquakes in 2019 led to a ban on drilling, according to the Telegraph, which [...]
GDP growth falls short of expectations, inching 0.1 per cent higher in October December 10, 2021 The UK’s economic growth inched just 0.1 per cent in October, according to the latest figures. The figure remains 0.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic level, the Officer for National Statistic found, falling short of economist and analyst expectations after experts had forecast a 0.4 per cent increase. Construction and hospitality were among the hardest [...]
How the Berlin Wall still influences culture and commerce December 1, 2021 Nature is reclaiming the Death Strip. Pioneer birch trees have self-seeded, creating a winding, shady memorial that cuts through the heart of Berlin. There are cherry blossoms too, a gift from the Japanese government. But it is the slim, silvery trunks of the birches, and the dappled, dancing shadows they cast on the path, that [...]
Soaring inflation in construction could spell disaster for housing in England November 25, 2021 The construction industry has been hit badly by inflation. Material prices are up: in terms of year on year increase, structural steel is at 65 per cent, reinforcement steel is at 62 per cent and plywood is at 56 per cent. Familiar supply chain problems are causing delays, and the cost of both energy and [...]