Financial news

• The Guardian view on the Tory rail legacy: a dismal record of failure | Editorial

  28-05-2024 19:47
  
  A report by cross-party MPs offers a damning verdict, six years after a ‘root and branch’ review called for wide-ranging reformThe vertiginous pace of events since Boris Johnson’s 2019 election victory has been such that pledges made only a few years ago seem almost to belong to another era. “I am a great believer in rail,” said Mr Johnson in 2021, announcing a major programme of reforms to the country’s network, “but for too long passengers have not had
  
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• Reality check: can Treasury afford pledge to raise tax-free pension allowance?

  28-05-2024 16:54
  
  We look at whether the Conservative pledge for a ‘triple lock plus’ can really be paid for by cracking down on tax avoidanceThe Conservatives have announced plans to boost pensioners’ income with a “triple lock plus”. It is a pitch to a group who, according to many polls, are the most likely to support the Tories, and is seen as a measure designed to shore up the party’s core vote. Continue reading...
  
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• Put your tape measure away – and enjoy your delicious underpoured pint | Imogen West-Knights

  28-05-2024 13:41
  
  A study says that most beer served in pubs and bars is short-measured. Here’s why I think drinkers should suck it upI have frequently felt robbed at the pub. You know the feeling. Tapping your card on the reader and seeing £6.70 drain from your bank account in exchange for the most average glass of IPA in the world; doing it again, a third, maybe even a fourth time, shuddering internally. News last week, however, confirmed the worst: actually, you really have been getting robbed at t
  
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• Minister says Tories will pay for pensions policy by clamping down on tax avoidance

  28-05-2024 11:47
  
  Mel Stride says pensioners will pay more income tax under Labour as critics say plan is merely reversal of previous Tory policyUK politics live – latest updatesThe work and pensions secretary has said Labour will drag millions of older people into paying income tax while the Conservatives can “comfortably” raise the money for their proposed cuts for pensioners by clamping down on tax avoidance.Under the Conservatives’ “triple lock plus” proposal , “milli
  
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• Our schools don’t prepare young people for life. National service could change that | Simon Jenkins

  28-05-2024 09:00
  
  Forget the military, but working under supervision in the NHS, care sector or for a charity could be hugely beneficial for manyRishi Sunak’s reinvention of national service is a desperate, last-minute election gimmick. But that does not make it a bad idea. If there is one phase in education across Britain that is way off course, it is the higher teens. Sixth-form, higher and further education are deeply reactionary, more plagued than ever by introverted academic syllabuses and obsessive te
  
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• Facebook refused to take down fake account, says TikTok star

  28-05-2024 08:00
  
  Grace Wolstenholme tried to persuade Meta to take down the fraudulent page, which was trying to make money by copying her posts, for five monthsA young social media star with cerebral palsy says Facebook refused to take action after scammers used her content to set up a fake account and make money from her fans.Grace Wolstenholme, 20, who has 1.3m followers on TikTok, says she has lost income from not posting videos after she was advised by the police to stop. Content she put on TikTok and on In
  
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• Does Checkatrade’s vetting really check out?

  28-05-2024 08:00
  
  With cowboy builders on the rise, is it worth trying an online platform instead? Our correspondents suggest there may be pitfallsCowboy builders are a proliferating scourge which can drain a householder’s savings. In response, online platforms have sprung up which list “vetted” traders in response to a postcode search. But how reliable are they?In March, I reported how AF of Brighton was left with part of her roof missing after hiring a trader to repair a leak. To ensure that s
  
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• Deaf man awarded £50,000 damages after mistreatment by jobcentre officials

  28-05-2024 08:00
  
  Tribunal rules Paul Rimmer was subject to ‘character assassination’ and was not given specialist helpA profoundly deaf man has been awarded £50,000 damages after a judge ruled he was subjected to a “character assassination” by hostile jobcentre officials, who refused to provide him with specialist help to find work.Paul Rimmer, who communicates primarily though British Sign Language (BSL) and has limited reading and writing skills, suffered from “oppressive&rd
  
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• Ofwat poised to refuse most suppliers’ requests for big price rises

  28-05-2024 06:00
  
  Water watchdog decision on bills in England and Wales delayed until after election, as Thames crisis loomsOfwat is poised to refuse most water companies’ requests to ratchet up consumer bills, with some getting as little as half of what they have asked for, the Guardian has learned.The decision from the water watchdog for England and Wales, Ofwat, has been formally delayed until 11 July because of the general election. Its verdict, known as a draft determination, comes amid a growing crisi
  
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• Concrete without CO2: can our biggest building material go green? – podcast

  28-05-2024 06:00
  
  Concrete is strong and durable – which is why it’s the basis for so much of our infrastructure. It’s also terrible for the planet, due to one key ingredient: cement, which is responsible for almost 90% of concrete emissions. Researchers have now found a way to recover old cement while also reducing the environmental impact of recycling steel. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Julian Allwood, professor of engineering and the environment at the University Of Cambridge, to find out how t
  
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• Martin Lewis issues crucial financial advice to concerned bride-to-be

  28-05-2024 05:19 via express.co.uk
  
  Martin Lewis has shared some tough love for a bride-to-be who is worried about getting married on a low income.
  
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