• Rick Stein defends charge of £2 for condiments at Cornwall restaurant

    Rick Stein defends charge of £2 for condiments at Cornwall restaurant
    Television chef blames food inflation, energy costs and rising wages for unpopular decisionRick Stein has defended his decision to charge £2 for condiments at his fish restaurant in Cornwall after criticism from some customers.The television chef and food writer’s restaurant group charges customers for condiments and dips in Stein’s Fish & Chips in Padstow to sit in, including gravy, curry sauce and aioli. Continue reading...
  • Sunak branded ‘inaction man’ at PMQs as Starmer attacks record on schools, prisons and China – UK politics live

    Sunak branded ‘inaction man’ at PMQs as Starmer attacks record on schools, prisons and China – UK politics live
    Labour leader accuses government of failing to heed warnings which has led to series of crises this weekHere is the list of MPs down to ask a question at PMQs.Yesterday it emerged that ministers are mulling over a plan to tweak the triple lock for pensions so that what might be a bumper 8.5% increase in its value next year ends up being marginally less generous, at 7.8%. Continue reading...
  • Rishi Sunak refuses to commit to triple lock on pensions beyond election

    Rishi Sunak refuses to commit to triple lock on pensions beyond election
    PM is pressed three times in Commons about hallmark policy, as Keir Starmer accuses ‘inaction man’ of putting UK’s security at riskUK politics live – latest updatesRishi Sunak refused three times to commit to maintaining the pensions triple lock beyond the next election, as Keir Starmer mocked him as “inaction man” over national security.In his final Commons grilling before MPs break up for party conference recess, the prime minister was evasive about the futu
  • Energy suppliers in UK banned from force-fitting prepay meters for over-75s

    Energy suppliers in UK banned from force-fitting prepay meters for over-75s
    Ofgem said homes with young children were also part of expanded and mandatory code of practiceEnergy suppliers have been officially banned from force-fitting prepayment meters for elderly people and those with infant children after a scandal over companies’ treatment of vulnerable customers.The industry regulator, Ofgem, said on Wednesday that companies would be forbidden from forcibly installing prepayment meters for people over 75 years old with no support in their house and in homes wit
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  • UK economy contracts 0.5% in July amid strikes and bad weather; BP boss Looney quits – business live

    UK economy contracts 0.5% in July amid strikes and bad weather; BP boss Looney quits – business live
    All three main sectors of the economy in decline after strikes by doctors, radiographers and teachers, while construction and retail hit by wet weatherAll of Europe’s main stock markets are in the red but losses are muted.UK’s FTSE 100 index down 0.05% at 7,524Germany’s Dax down 0.3% at 15,671France’s CAC down 0.4% at 7,224Italy’s FTSE MiB down 0.4% at 28,458It may be tempting to downplay the weakness in July as a combination of strike action, poor weather and gener
  • UK homeowners and landlords: tell us if you got into mortgage arrears recently

    UK homeowners and landlords: tell us if you got into mortgage arrears recently
    We’d like to hear from homeowners and buy-to-let landlords who have fallen behind with their mortgage repayments in recent monthsMortgage arrears jumped by 13% in the second quarter of the year to the highest level since 2016, according to Bank of England figures, as rising interest rates and unemployment over recent months have put pressure on household disposable incomes, forcing some families to cut or suspend their monthly mortgage payments.We’re interested to hear from homeowner
  • Vodafone sold us a broadband upgrade – then cut us off completely

    Vodafone sold us a broadband upgrade – then cut us off completely
    We were tempted to go for full fibre. Three cancelled installations later, our existing service was terminatedVodafone has seemingly disconnected my family from the modern world. In June, after months of emails encouraging me to upgrade my copper-cable broadband service to “full fibre”, I accepted. An installation was arranged. However, the engineer declared he needed authorisation from the network provider Openreach to use local utility poles. A second visit was planned then cancell
  • How to afford university: loans, scholarships, budgeting and more

    How to afford university: loans, scholarships, budgeting and more
    Paying your way through uni, or even just earning some beer money, is essential. Just don’t let it get in the way of your studiesThe 2024 league tableWhile the courses on offer will be top of your list when choosing between universities, it’s also worth thinking about the cost of living while you are there – particularly if you plan to move away from home.According to the latest Natwest Student Living Index, released annually, Bournemouth was the most affordable city for underg
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  • ‘A fairytale wooden world’: Soviet country cottages – in pictures

    ‘A fairytale wooden world’: Soviet country cottages – in pictures
    Widespread in the former USSR, dachas set in rural idylls were inhabited by writers, architects and those looking to escape the city for a self-sufficient life Continue reading...
  • Pothole repairs on local roads in England sink to lowest level in five years

    Pothole repairs on local roads in England sink to lowest level in five years
    RAC calls on government to boost council funding as data shows road maintenance dropped by almost a thirdThe mileage of local roads in England being resurfaced or treated to avoid potholes has fallen to its lowest level in five years, research has shown.There has been a decline of almost one-third in the total amount of life-extending road maintenance by local councils, according to analysis of government data by the RAC motoring organisation. Continue reading...
  • More than a fifth of UK shoppers’ favourite grocery items at climate breakdown risk

    More than a fifth of UK shoppers’ favourite grocery items at climate breakdown risk
    Report finds consumers could also face shortages of bananas, avocados, peas and tea in the coming years owing to carbon dioxide emissionsMore than a fifth of UK shoppers’ favourite grocery items are at risk from climate breakdown, a new report has found.Consumers could also face shortages of bananas, grapes, avocados, cashews, cocoa, peas, canned tuna and tea in the coming years, as the countries they come from are hit by changing weather patterns because of CO2 emissions, the charity Chri
  • ‘I feel anger; it never needed to have happened’ – Wilko workers lament closures

    ‘I feel anger; it never needed to have happened’ – Wilko workers lament closures
    Staff at the stricken retailer talk of how things went downhill fast and voice fears for their futures‘You could get everything here’: Wilko customers make final shopping trip as closures beginPoundland moves to buy 71 Wilko sites with possible jobs guaranteeWhen James got back from travelling in 2008, he saw a job ad for Wilko. He applied and got it. Fifteen years of loyalty later – after he had worked on “practically everything you could possibly do” at the budget
  • High court rules Qantas illegally outsourced 1,700 jobs during pandemic

    High court rules Qantas illegally outsourced 1,700 jobs during pandemic
    Decision exposes embattled airline to mammoth compensation bill in major win for the Transport Workers UnionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastQantas has lost its high court bid to overturn a ruling that it illegally outsourced 1,700 ground handler jobs.On Wednesday the high court unanimously upheld a full federal court decision exposing the embattled airline to a mammoth compensation bill for laying off

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