Bad at maths? The cost of Britain’s poor numeracy skills is no laughing matter May 19, 2022 Our nation’s poor report card for numeracy skills has been a longstanding challenge, and the current cost-of-living crisis is making that even more apparent. We all use numbers to navigate day-to-day life – from understanding interest rates to working out value for money while shopping. Nearly half of the UK’s working population has the numeracy [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Where the world was the last time inflation was this high May 19, 2022 Yesterday the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that UK inflation had hit 9 per cent, reaching the highest level since 1982. This year we have slowly emerged from the pandemic, witnessed the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and we’re facing a dire cost of living crisis. But what was going on last time that [...]
Jaws drop as it emerges UK Health Security Agency pays 1,400 consultants as much as £3,100 per day May 19, 2022 It emerged today that the UK Health Security Agency is paying consultants as much as £3,100 per day. While the number used by the UKHSA has reduced, as of January 31 it was still employing 1,476 management consultants. In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee, the UKHSA said that the majority of these consultants [...]
Petrol retailers could face fines if they fail to pass on fuel duty cuts to consumers May 19, 2022 Petrol retailers could be fined if they fail to pass on fuel duty cuts to customers, warned the Competition and Markets Authority.
National Grid posts £4bn profit amid soaring electricity and gas prices May 19, 2022 National Grid announced operating profit was up 11 per cent to £4bn as the firm continues to invest in its energy transition.
Windfall tax would jeopardise North Sea investments argues UK’s offshore energy body May 18, 2022 The UK's leading offshore energy body has warned Kwasi Kwarteng that a windfall tax could undermine stability in the oil and gas sector.
Back to the ’80s? Rishi should borrow from the playbook May 18, 2022 An embattled Tory Prime Minister hunkered down in Westminster. A cost of living crisis becoming the defining issue of the political age. Unions plotting strike action. The similarities between 1982 and 2022 are eerie, and they don’t even stop there: it was that year that a promising England team headed off to a World Cup [...]
Green levies should be taken off energy bills to ease costs, says think tank May 18, 2022 Green levies should be scrapped from bills and shifted on to general taxation to reduce the burden on households, argues the CPS.
PMQs: Boris Johnson deflects on windfall tax as Starmer teases him on an ‘inevitable u-turn’ May 18, 2022 Boris Johnson has been accused of dithering on a windfall tax by Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions, as the leader of the opposition said he would do an ‘inevitable u-turn’ on the issue. The PM refused to be drawn on whether he supported the one-off tax, with Starmer highlighting Rishi Sunak’s comments to the [...]
Petrol prices spiral to record highs putting more pressure on motorists May 18, 2022 Diesel and petrol prices climbed to record highs yesterday, putting more pressure on squeezed motorists as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.