Loan sharks will keep circling victims unless the lending industry embraces change May 30, 2022 As many as 1.08 million people could be borrowing from an illegal money lender – a loan shark – according to a recent Centre for Social Justice report. Loan sharks take many forms, from community-based lenders operating in estates to fully-fledged organised crime groups seeking out the most vulnerable. They use pester power, intimidation and [...]
NIESR top economist: Bank of England has tools to fight inflation May 30, 2022 The UK economy is in a bit of a bind. Households are being squeezed by historic rises in their living costs, while businesses’ margins are thinning due to expenses soaring. A much higher than expected inflation crunch – primarily the result of Russia’s unforeseen invasion of Ukraine – is forecast to trigger a spending pull [...]
Jubilee boom for small business amid inflation worries May 30, 2022 THE EXTENDED Bank Holiday to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee will give Britain’s small firms a much needed revenue boost. The closely-watched Barclays SME Barometer suggests three in five small business owners are expecting to see revenues higher this year than last, helped by an anticipated spending spree over the coming week. But around three [...]
Electric blankets saved customers £300 on their energy bills, says Octopus Energy May 29, 2022 Customers using electric blankets have cut their energy bills by nearly a fifth this year, revealed Octopus Energy.
Shell: ‘We understand worry for millions – but windfall tax creates uncertainty’ May 27, 2022 Shell has slammed the government’s windfall tax. It said while it “understands the worry for millions” about the cost of living crisis, the new tax creates “uncertainty” about investment in the UK energy sector. This follows Chancellor Rishi Sunak announcing a so-called Energy Profits Levy, a 25 per cent surcharge on North Sea oil and [...]
Windfall tax u-turn drags down London-listed energy titans May 27, 2022 London-listed energy companies that will be caught by Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s windfall tax tumbled during opening exchanges today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index was flat this morning at 7,564.82 points, while the mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, jumped 0.52 per cent to 20,354.82 [...]
Sunak denies using £21bn support package to deflect from No 10 lockdown parties May 27, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has rejected the notion that the timing of handing out £21bn worth of cost-of-living support to deflect from the controversy over Downing Street lockdown parties. The Chancellor bowed to demands for the UK Government to step in and help households to deal with ballooning energy bills and rising shop prices, which are [...]
China lockdowns are exacerbating supply chain crisis, warn manufacturers May 27, 2022 Covid outbreaks in China are worsening a supply chain crisis being endured by manufacturing companies, with an on-going lockdown in Shanghai particularly hitting exports of parts and components, according to a leading trade body. Make UK senior economist Fhaheen Khan said: “What we’ve found from our own members, particularly not just the automotive sector, but [...]
Costs of EV rapid charging increases by a fifth following surge in energy prices May 27, 2022 The cost of rapidly charging an electric vehicle (EV) has increased by a fifth in the last eight months due to soaring energy prices. Data from automotive insurance company RAC reported that since September public rapid chargers have increased their rate by 7.81p per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 44.55p kWh. This means that completing an [...]
Sunak’s care package prevents severe UK living standards shock May 26, 2022 Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s energy shock care package will prevent a severe erosion of living standards among the UK’s poorest households. That’s according to top wonks’ assessments of today’s round of measures designed to cushion the hit to households from soaring inflation and energy bills. Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said: [...]