Financial news

• Get rich quick? Not with Utility Warehouse

  08-07-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Major energy scheme fronted by Joanna Lumley promises its ‘partners’ can earn thousands, but it doesn’t quite add upIt’s a money-making opportunity being promoted by Joanna Lumley where, for just a few hours’ work a week, “you will quickly find yourself earning an extra few hundred pounds each month”. With a bit more effort, she says, “you could earn thousands of pounds each month”.Sure enough, the accompanying literature holds out the t
  
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• State pensioners born between these years can slash TV licence bill to £0

  07-02-2026 20:49 via express.co.uk
  Free licences are available for over-75s on Pension Credit, with reduced fees for care home residents and blind people.
  
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• Martin Lewis issues ISA warning to savers looking to boost returns - 1 ‘vital’ step

  07-02-2026 20:45 via express.co.uk
  Many Brits who want to get more out of their money will consider moving to a different ISA account in 2026. But they must complete one step, warns Martin Lewis.
  
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• State pensioners given warning over DWP benefits limit

  07-02-2026 17:13 via express.co.uk
  EXCLUSIVE: State pensioners can be affected by the DWP benefits cap in this situation say financial experts.
  
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• UK trade policy: time to stop the secret deals and get systematic

  07-02-2026 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Liam Byrne is echoing Robin Cook’s ethical trade policy, warning the UK needs deals more open to scrutiny to prevent future issuesTrade can be a dirty business. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was tolerated as a “special representative for trade and investment” in the noughties despite allegations that he kept convicted gun smugglers for friends, while Peter Mandelson’s ability to schmooze the rich and famous repeatedly overruled concerns about his probity.To close a deal, the
  
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• UK restaurant giving away 50,000 free pizzas – when customers do one thing

  07-02-2026 15:49 via express.co.uk
  The offer will be available for one day only, on Monday 9 February 2026.
  
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• Why has Elon Musk merged his rocket company with his AI startup?

  07-02-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI creates business worth $1.25tn but whether premise behind deal will work is questionedThe acquisition of xAI by SpaceX is a typical Elon Musk deal: big numbers backed by big ambition.As well as extending “the light of consciousness to the stars”, as Musk described it, the transaction creates a business worth $1.25tn (£920bn) by combining Musk’s rocket company with his artificial intelligence startup. It values SpaceX at $1tn and xAI at $2
  
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• 'I'm a self-made millionaire – here's why buying gift cards will keep you poor'

  07-02-2026 14:15 via express.co.uk
  Mark Tilbury, who runs a multi-million-dollar firm and boasts more than seven million subscribers on YouTube, claimed that gift cards are 'basically a scam'
  
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• HMRC new change begins - new rules for some in UK including 'penalty points'

  07-02-2026 13:49 via express.co.uk
  HMRC is rolling out a new system and there are a number of elements to it that differ from the previous rules.
  
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• UK electric vehicle charging firms ‘seeking buyers amid rising costs and tough competition’

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Mergers and acquisitions will shrink number of operators from more than 100 to five or six, says Be.EV co-founderBritish electric charger companies are asking rivals to buy them as they run out of cash amid rising costs and intense competition, according to industry bosses.A wave of mergers and acquisitions is likely to shrink the number of charge point operators from as many as 150 to a market dominated by five or six players, said Asif Ghafoor, a co-founder of Be.EV, a charging company backed
  
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• Trump housing policy is a mess and it won’t fix the US housing crisis

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Deregulation alone can’t make homes affordable when rising inequality, not zoning, is what is driving prices upDonald Trump has an interesting view of how housing plays in US politics. “I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes,” he said at a recent cabinet meeting. Unaffordable housing may be front and center of the “affordability crisis” pissing off voters. Still, he insists: “We’
  
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• Thousands of Malawi businesses close in protest over tax changes

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Peaceful demonstrations force a delay in measures aimed at improving revenue collection but which many fear will be fatal for small traders Demonstrations across Malawi’s four main cities during the past week have achieved a delay in the introduction of a new tax regime that business owners claim will cripple their livelihoods.Tens of thousands had signed petitions which this week were presented to tax officials and on Monday thousands of small traders shut up shops and businesses to hold
  
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• The Epstein files reveal that a vast global conspiracy actually exists – sort of

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The documents confirm what many have long assumed: elites live by their own special rules and codes of immunityThe millions of Jeffrey Epstein files dumped last Friday by the US Department of Justice will provide journalists, conspiracy theorists and interested members of the public with months of reading. And what they will read is enraging.What makes these files so infuriating, however, is not just Epstein’s horrific predatory behavior, which is well-known, but the more mundane examples
  
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• Post-Brexit sales of British farm products to EU fall by 37%

  07-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  NFU warn it could take years to restore Brexit losses despite efforts to smooth negotiations on farming and other elements of UK-EU resetExports of British farm products to the EU have dropped almost 40% in the five years since Brexit, highlighting the trade barriers caused by the UK’s divorce from the EU in 2020.Analysis of HMRC data by the National Farmers’ Union shows the decline in sales of everything from British beef to cheddar cheese has dropped by 37.4% in the five years sinc
  
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• Waymo is trying to seduce me. But another option is staring us in the face | Dave Schilling

  07-02-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  I understand the appeal of avoiding all human contact. Still, good old-fashioned taxis have so much to offerIt’s Super Bowl weekend here in America, which means a few things: copious amounts of gut-busting food, controversial half-time show performances, extravagant commercials, and occasionally a bit of football.For the tens of thousands rich enough to afford tickets to the Big Game, transportation to and from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will be paramount. Thankfully,
  
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• Monzo wrongly denied refunds to thousands of fraud and scam victims

  07-02-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Ombudsman found bank wrongly rejected 34% of complaints last year, with NatWest and HSBC close behindMonzo has wrongly denied refunds to thousands of fraud and scam victims, the Guardian can reveal.The digital-only bank wrongly rejected more than 1,000 fraud and scam complaints that were closed last year alone, according to data from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Continue reading...
  
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• Reform-run Kent council accused of fabricating £40m net zero savings

  07-02-2026 11:43 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Disclosures show figures cited by council leader rested on unfunded ideas listed briefly in budget papersReform UK’s flagship council has been accused of telling a “blatant lie” after its claim of nearly £40m in savings on net zero was found to be based on hypothetical projects for which there was no documentation.Kent county council, which has a £2.5bn annual budget, is one of 10 where Nigel Farage’s party has outright control and is seen as a test
  
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• £85 cost of living payments awarded to households before April

  07-02-2026 11:07 via express.co.uk
  Eligible households can get a one-off payment sent directly to their bank account.
  
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• Victims urge tougher action on deepfake abuse as new law comes into force

  07-02-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Campaigners welcome criminalisation of non-consensual AI-generated explicit images but say law does not go far enoughVictims of deepfake image abuse have called for stronger protection against AI-generated explicit images, as the law criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images comes into effect.Campaigners from Stop Image-Based Abuse delivered a petition to Downing Street with more than 73,000 signatures, urging the government to introduce civil routes to justice such as takedow
  
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• Only one man can stop Angela Rayner becoming PM - but we'd all want to flee the country

  07-02-2026 11:00 via express.co.uk
  Labour is losing its mind over Angela Rayner. This is not going to end well.
  
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• Blue Badge full list of eligibility in the UK - who qualifies for parking permit

  07-02-2026 10:59 via express.co.uk
  The Blue Badge scheme allows people with severe mobility problems to park closer to their destination and often for free in disabled bays.
  
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• State pensioners issue urgent warning over state pension triple lock

  07-02-2026 10:35 via express.co.uk
  State pensioners are campaigning to protect the triple lock - or pensioners will be pushed into 'poverty'.
  
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• Lib Dems urge FCA to investigate Peter Mandelson over potential insider trading

  07-02-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Daisy Cooper says ex-minister could have ‘abused trading laws’ when sharing state information with Jeffrey EpsteinThe Liberal Democrats have urged the UK’s financial regulator to immediately investigate Peter Mandelson, saying his apparent decision to leak highly confidential government information to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein may have led to insider trading.In a letter to Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Daisy
  
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• FCA urged to investigate Peter Mandelson over potential insider trading

  07-02-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Lib Dem Daisy Cooper says ex-minister could have ‘abused trading laws’ when sharing state information with Jeffrey EpsteinThe Liberal Democrats have urged the UK’s financial regulator to immediately investigate Peter Mandelson, saying his apparent decision to leak highly confidential government information to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein may have led to insider trading.In a letter to Nikhil Rathi, the chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA
  
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• Cost of UK pet insurance falls despite higher vet fees and inflation

  07-02-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Competition is driving down prices, albeit slowly, with the median lifetime cover put at £247 for dogs and £180 for cats a yearVet fees continue to rise and many other costs are on the increase, but pet insurance has on average become slightly cheaper as providers compete for custom, new research claims.The pricing data coincides with a study which found that one-third of UK pet owners don’t have insurance, with cost cited as one of the biggest factors. Continue reading...
  
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• Wealthy use loophole to conceal value of £300m in Scottish land sales

  07-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Prices paid for large estates not being disclosed on official register, land reform advocates sayLand reform campaigners are alarmed at the increasing use of a legal loophole that allows landowners to conceal the price paid for Highland estates from the public register.Andy Wightman, a land reform analyst, said the loophole meant the prices paid in more than £300m-worth of Highland property transactions were not disclosed on the register. Continue reading...
  
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• UK threatens to seize Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in escalatory move

  07-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Capture of rogue ship could open a new front against Moscow at a time when Russia’s oil revenues are tumblingThe UK is threatening to seize a Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in an escalatory move that could lead to the opening up of a new front against Moscow at a time when the country’s oil revenues are tumbling.British defence sources confirmed that military options to capture a rogue ship had been identified in discussions involving Nato allies – though a month has gone by
  
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• ‘Plainly wrong’: London flat dwellers fight shock £200,000 heating bill

  07-02-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Almost 1m UK households are hooked up to heat networks. None had protection from poor service or price hikes … until last month‘If I could move, I would – to a place without a heat network. But I can’t while this debt is hanging over me,” says Anja Georgiou.The mother lives with her family in a rented flat in the River Gardens development in Greenwich in south-east London where, three years ago, residents were shocked to be presented with a surprise £200,000
  
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• Dow Jones hits 50,000 milestone amid tech gains and hopes of lower interest rates

  06-02-2026 22:31 via theguardian.com
  Although tech stocks and cryptocurrencies suffered recent falls, investors largely shrugged off geopolitical tensions The Dow Jones industrial average crossed 50,000 for the first time, as ballooning tech valuations, robust corporate earnings and hopes of lower interest rates drive it to new highs.Leading stock markets on Wall Street came under pressure earlier this week as technology stocks fell amid scrutiny of extraordinary levels of investment into artificial intelligence. Continue reading..
  
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• Queen’s image on Australian commemorative coins likened to Shrek

  06-02-2026 19:01 via theguardian.com
  Two coins celebrating Queen Elizabeth II criticised for failing to resemble late monarchTwo Australian coins commemorating Queen Elizabeth II have been criticised for failing to resemble the late monarch.The $5 (£2.56) and 50c (26p) silver coins, created by Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the centenary of the queen’s birth, were released in an online ballot that closed on Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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